GIFT   OF 


ORGANIZATION  AND  METHODS 

UNITED  STATES 
LIFE-SAVING  SERVICE 


BY 


SUMNER  I.  KIMBALL 

GENERAL  SUPERINTENDENT 
OF  THE  SEBV1CE 


READ  BEFORE  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  LIFE-SAVING 
SYSTEMS  AND  DEVICES,  INTERNATIONAL  MARINE 
CONFERENCE  ::  ::  NOVEMBER  22,  1889 


WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1912 


ORGANIZATION  AND  METHODS 

OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES 
LIFE-SAVING  SERVICE 


BY 


SUMNER  I.  KIMBALL 

M 

GENERAL  SUPERINTENDENT 
OF  THE  SERVICE 


READ  BEFORE  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  LIFE-SAVING 
SYSTEMS  AND  DEVICES,  INTERNATIONAL  MARINE 
CONFERENCE  ::  ::  ::  ::  ::  NOVEMBER  22, 1889 


WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1912 


TREASURY  DEPARTMENT, 

LIFE- SAVING  SERVICE, 

i  ' 

OFFICE  OF  THE  GENERAL  SUPERINTENDENT, 

Washington,  D.  6".,  January  5,  189 J^. 

The  following  paper,  which  was  read  before  the  committee  on  life- 
saving  systems  and  devices,  International  Marine  Conference,  Novem- 
ber 22,  1889,  by  S.  I.  Kimball,  General  Superintendent  of  the  United 
States  Life- Saving  Service,  is  published  for  the  information  of  officers 
and  employees  of  the  Service  and  others  interested. 


345175 


ORGANIZATION  AND  METHODS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  LIFE-SAVING 

SERVICE.1 


The  sea  and  lake  coasts  of  the  United  States,  exclusive  of  the  coast 
of  Alaska,  have  an  extent  of  more  than  10,000  miles.  There  are 
to-day  upon  these  coasts  226  life-saving  stations,  165  of  which  are 
on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  8  on  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
8  on. the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  45  on  the  shores  of  the  Great 
Lakes.  There  is,  besides,  a  station  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  Eiver  at 
Louisville,  ,Ky.  These  stations  are  located  at  selected  points  of 
danger  to  shipping,  and  vary  somewhat  in  character,  according  to 
their  environment  and  the  nature  of  the  service  demanded  of  them. 
On  some  portions  of  the  coast  they  are  placed  only  at  long  intervals, 
while  upon  others  they  form  chains  of  contiguous  posts  within  com- 
municating distance  of  each  other. 

From  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  coast  of  Maine  to  Race  Point 
on  Cape  Cod,  a  distance  of  415  miles,  there  are  but  16  stations,  10 
of  these  being  located  at  the  most  dangerous  points  on  the  coast  of 
Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  which,  although  abounding  with  rugged 
headlands,  islets,  rocks,  reefs,  and  intricate  channels  that  would 
naturally  appear  to  be  replete  with  dangers,  are  provided  with  nu- 
merous harbors  and  places  of  shelter  in  which,  upon  short  notice, 
vessels  can  take  refuge.  The  portion  of  the  Massachusetts  coast  in- 
cluded, although  less  favored  with  safe  resorts,  enjoys  the  excellent 
guardianship  of  the  Massachusetts  Humane  Society — a  venerable  in- 
stitution, operating  under  the  volunteer  system.  On  account  of  this 
protection,  the  General  Government  has  deemed  it  proper  to  place 
its  stations  within  this  territory  only  at  points  where  wrecks  are 
unusually  frequent;  at  least,  until  other  dangerous  parts  of  the  coast 
shall  have  been  provided  for. 

Cape  Cod,  a  narrow  strip  of  sand,  stretches  directly  out  into  the 
ocean  some  40  miles,  then  abruptly  turns  to  the  north  for  an  equal 
distance,  and,  like  a  threatening  arm,  fiercely  menaces  the  commerce 
of  the  principal  port  of  New  England.  Its  eastern  borders  of  shift- 
ing sand  bars  fringe  an  unbroken  line  of  sandy  beaches,  which  have 
become  the  burial  ground  of  unnumbered  craft.  Here  10  stations  are 
located  nearly  equidistant,  and  designed  to  cooperate  with  each  other. 

i  See  addenda,  p.  38. 


6  UNITED  STATES  LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

From  Monomy—  the  elbow  of  the  cape — to  Montauk  Point,  a  dis- 
tance of  110  miles,  the  coast  is  again  somewhat  similar  to  that  of 
Maine,  and  is  provided  with  but  9  stations. 

The  ocean  shores  of  Long  Island  and  New  Jersey,  one  about  120  and 
the  other  130  miles  in  length,  form  nearly  a  right  angle,  one  side  of 
which  faces  southeasterly  and  the  other  easterly,  the  vertex  being  at 
the  entrance  to  the  harbor  of  the  great  commercial  metropolis  of  the 
nation.  The  southern  portion  of  the  New  Jersey  coast  also  borders 
the  entrance  to  Delaware  Bay,  which  is  traversed  by  the  shipping  of 
Philadelphia  and  Wilmington.  The  coast  line  throughout  nearly  its 
whole  extent  consists  of  a  narrow  strip  of  sand  beach,  varying  in 
width  from  a  fourth  of  a  mile  to  5  miles,  and  separated  from  the 
mainland  by  narrow  thoroughfares  that  sometimes  expand  into  con- 
siderable bays.  This  strip  is  unbroken  except  by  shallow  inlets  con- 
necting the  ocean  with  the  inland  waters,  and  by  the  entrance  to  New 
York  Harbor,  as  before  stated.  At  a  distance  of  from  1  to  400  yards 
from  the  shore  it  is  bordered  by  outlying  sand  bars,  over  which,  in 
violent  storms,  immense  walls  of  surf  continually  form  and  break. 
Its  shores,  exposed  to  all  easterly  storms,  are  constantly  skirted  by 
vessels  bound  into  and  out  of  the  ports  of  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
and  Wilmington,  and  by  craft  of  the  coasting  trade.  Their  sands 
have  always  levied  a  fearful  tribute  upon  the  passing  commerce,  and 
are  literally  strewn  with  the  half -buried  and  decaying  skeletons  of 
wrecked  vessels,  while  the  graveyards  of  the  coast  villages  and  settle- 
ments abound  with  unmarked  mounds  that  tell  a  sorrowful  tale  of 
the  destruction  of  human  life.  Here,  therefore,  the  number  of  sta- 
tions is  increased,  39  being  placed  upon  the  coast  of  Long  Island  and 
40  upon  the  New  Jersey  coast. 

A  similar  formation  marks  the  coast  from  Cape  Henlopen  to  Cape 
Charles,  and  from  Cape  Henry  to  Cape  Fear.  On  the  first  of  these 
sections,  a  distance  of  116  miles,  16  stations  are  located,  while  from 
Cape  Henry  to  Cape  Hatteras,  a  stretch  of  121  miles,  there  are  23 
stations.  These  guard  a  portion  of  the  ocean  commerce  of  Philadel- 
phia, all  that  of  Baltimore  and  Norfolk,  and  the  coastwise  shipping. 

Between  Cape  Hatteras  and  Cape  Fear,  175  miles,  6  stations  are 
placed,  for  the  protection  of  the  commerce  of  Beaufort  and  Wilming- 
ton, N.  C.,  and  for  the  benefit  of  coasting  vessels  liable  to  disaster 
upon  these  stormy  capes. 

From  Cape  Fear  as  far  south  as  the  peninsula  of  Florida  there  are 
no  stations,  with  the  exception  of  one  on  Morris  Island,  at  the  en- 
trance to  Charleston  Harbor,  their  protection  not  being  needed,  for 
the  reason  that  the  westerly  trend  of  the  coast  from  Cape  Hatteras  to 
Florida  takes  it  distant  from  the  track  of  vessels  not  bound  to  or  from 
the  local  ports.  The  climate  is  also  much  milder  than  in  the  higher 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  7 

latitudes,  being  almost  perennial  summer;  consequently,  shipwrecks 
are  less  frequent. 

On  the  coast  of  Florida,  when  vessels  strand,  they  usually  come  well 
up  to  the  shore,  so  that  sailors  find  little  difficulty  in  reaching  the  land. 
Until  of  late,  however,  these  shores  were  almost  uninhabited,  and  mar- 
iners cast  upon  them  were  exposed  to  the  terrors  of  starvation  and 
thirst.  On  this  account  there  are  provided  for  their  relief  10  stations 
of  an  exceptional  type,  denominated  houses  of  refuge.  There  is,  how- 
ever, a  completely  equipped  station  at  Jupiter  Inlet,  a  somewhat 
dangerous  point. 

Along  most  of  that  portion  of  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  lying 
within  the  United  States  the  water  is  shoal  for  a  great  distance  from 
shore,  the  soundings  regular,  and  the  coast  line  generally  low, 
marshy,  or  sandy.  The  dangerous  gales  are  the  "  northers,"  so  well 
known  to  seamen  who  frequent  the  Gulf,  and  these  force  vessels  off 
and  not  on  shore,  except  where  a  portion  of  the  coast  of  Texas  runs 
nearly  north  and  south.  This  portion  is  exposed  to  the  effects  of 
these  storms,  especially  if  the  wind  is  a  little  quartering  from  the 
east,  and  here  are  appropriately  established  four  stations.  There  is 
also  a  station  at  the  entrance  to  Galveston  Harbor,  where  many 
vessels  have  been  wrecked  upon  the  bar,  and  at  unusually  exposed 
points  two  others. 

The  Pacific  coast  is  not  a  dangerous  one.  From  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  United  States  as  far  north  as  San  Francisco  the 
climate  is  remarkably  bland  and  shipwrecks  are  of  rare  occurrence. 
The  remainder  of  the  coast  line,  extending  northward  to  the  Straits 
of  Fuca,  is  very  regular,  bold,  and  unbroken,  and  contains  but  few 
harbors.  The  prevailing  winds  are  mostly  from  a  common  quarter, 
blowing  not  toward  the  shore,  but  southward,  along  its  line,  with 
almost  the  regularity  of  monsoons.  The  weather,  therefore,  is  easily 
forecast,  and  navigation  can  not  in  general  be  regarded  as  hazardous. 
There  are,  however,  a  few  extremely  dangerous  points,  mostly  situ- 
ated at  the  entrances  to  the  important  ports.  These  are  guarded  by 
eight  stations. 

The  cluster  of  inland  seas  known  as  the  Great  Lakes  contains  an 
area  of  about  80,000  square  miles  and  has  a  coast  line  within  the 
limits  of  the  United  States  of  nearly  2,500  miles.  These  seas  are 
open  to  navigation  about  eight  months  in  the  year,  at  other  times 
being  closed  by  ice,  although  one  or  two  steamers  cut  their  way 
across  Lake  Michigan  at  intervals  throughout  the  winter.  There  are 
few  natural  harbors,  but  a  large  number  of  artificial  ones.  These 
are  formed  at  the  mouths  of  rivers  by  extending  piers  from  their 
banks  out  into  the  lake  for  a  considerable  distance  and  dredging  the 
bottom  between.  The  Lakes  are  generally  tranquil,  but  at  certain 
seasons  are  visited  by  violent  gales  which  throw  their  fresh  waters 


8  UNITED  STATES  LIFE-SAVING  SERVICE. 

into  furious  convulsion  with  a  suddenness  unknown  upon  the  ocean. 
Vessels  unable  to  hold  their  own  against  the  severity  of  these  storms, 
being  landlocked  and  with  scant  sea  room,  are  likely  to  be  left  with 
only  the  choice  between  stranding  wherever  they  may  be  driven  and 
seeking  refuge  in  the  harbor  that  seems  most  accessible.  The  latter 
course  is  naturally  the  one  taken.  To  effect  an  entrance  within  the 
narrow  space  between  the  piers  at  such  times  with  sailing  vessels, 
and  even  with  steamers,  is  frequently  a  task  of  extreme  difficulty, 
and  the  luckless  craft  are  liable  to  strand  upon  the  bar  on  one  or  tho 
other  side  of  the  piers  and  meet  their  destruction.  At  some  of  these 
harbors  many  disasters  occur  in  a  single  day. 

The  numerous  severe  gales  attending  the  opening  and  closing  of 
navigation  in  the  early  spring  and  late  fall  cause  great  numbers  of 
wrecks  from  the  enormous  shipping  of  the  Lakes.  As  the  strandings 
usually  occur  near  the  harbors,  however,  the  number  of  stations  re- 
quired is  not  so  large  as  it  would  be  if  they  were  distributed  more 
generally  along  the  shore.  The  number  at  present  is,  as  I  have 
stated,  45. 

At  Louisville,  Ky.,  dangerous  falls  occur  in  the  Ohio  River,  across 
which  a  dam  has  been  constructed  with  two  wide  openings  or  chutes 
to  facilitate  the  descent  of  vessels,  the  ascent  being  accomplished 
through  a  canal  provided  with  locks.  This  dam  is  a  source  of  danger 
to  boats  attempting  to  cross  the  river  to  the  city  of  Jeffersonville,  as 
they  are  liable  to  be  sucked  down  by  the  chutes  or  swept  over  its  verge. 
Larger  vessels  are  also  exposed  to  danger  if  they  become  disabled  or 
unmanageable.  For  this  reason  it  has  been  found  advisable  to  moor 
here  a  floating  station  of  a  unique  character. 

The  remaining  few  stations  are  located  at  various  points  which 
have  seemed  to  need  their  protection.  There  are  8  stations  now  in 
course  of  construction  and  20  others  authorized  to  be  hereafter  built 
at  various  isolated  points  of  danger.  When  these  are  completed  this 
form  of  protection  will  have  about  reached  the  practical  limit  of  the 
present  necessities  of  our  commerce. 

The  stations  upon  the  ocean  beaches  are  generally  situated  among 
the  low  sand  hills  common  to  such  localities  sufficiently  back  of  high- 
water  mark  to  be  safe  from  the  reach  of  storm  tides.  They  are  plain 
structures,  designed  to  serve  as  barracks  for  the  crews  and  to  afford 
convenient  storage  for  the  boats  and  apparatus.  Most  of  those  upon 
the  Long  Island  and  New  Jersey  coasts  have  been  enlarged  from  the 
boathouses  put  up  to  shelter  the  boats  and  equipments  provided  for 
the  use  of  volunteers  before  regular  crews  were  employed.  Those 
built  later  are  more  comely  in  appearance,  while  a  few,  located  con- 
spicuously at  popular  seaside  resorts,  make  some  pretensions  to  archi- 
tectural taste.  They  are  all  designated  by  names  indicating  their 
localities. 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  9 

In  the  majority  of  stations  the  first  floor  is  divided  into  four 
rooms — a  boat  room,  a  mess  room  (also  serving  for  a  sitting  room  for 
the  men),  a  keeper's  room,  and  a  storeroom.  Wide,  double-leafed 
doors  and  a  sloping  platform  extending  from  the  sills  to  the  ground 
permit  the  running  out  of  the  heavier  equipments  from  the  building. 
The  second  story  contains  two  rooms — one  is  the  sleeping  room  of  the 
men ;  the  other  has  spare  cots  for  rescued  people  and  is  also  used  for 
storage.  The  more  commodious  stations  have  two  additional  rooms — 
a  spare  room  and  a  kitchen.  In  localities  where  good  water  can  not 
be  otherwise  obtained  cisterns  are  provided  for  water  caught  from 
the  roof.  There  surmounts  every  station  a  lookout  or  observatory,  in 
which  a  day  watch  is  kept.  The  roofs  upon  the  stations  on  those 
portions  of  the  coast  exposed  to  view  from  the  sea  are  usually  painted 
dark  red,  which  makes  them  distinguishable  a  long  distance  offshore. 
They  are  also  marked  by  a  flagstaff  60  feet  high,  used  in  signaling 
passing  vessels  by  the  International  Code. 

The  stations  (other  than  the  houses  of  refuge)  are  generally 
equipped  with  two  surf  boats  (supplied  with  oars,  lifeboat  compass, 
and  other  outfits),  a  boat  carriage,  two  sets  of  breeches-buoy  appa- 
ratus (including  a  Lyle  gun  and  accessories),  a  cart  for  the  trans- 
portation of  the  apparatus,  a  life-car,  20  cork  jackets,  2  heaving 
sticks,  a  dozen  Coston  signals,  a  dozen  signal  rockets,  a  set  of  the 
signal  flags  of  the  International  Code,  a  medicine  chest  with  contents, 
a  barometer,  a  thermometer,  patrol  lanterns,  patrol  checks  or  patrol 
clocks,  the  requisite  furniture  for  rude  housekeeping  by  the  crew  and 
for  the  succor  of  rescued  people,  fuel  and  oil,  tools  for  the  repair  of 
the  boats  and  apparatus  and  for  minor  repairs  to  the  buildings,  and 
the  necessary  books  and  stationery.  At  some  of  the  stations  the  Hunt 
gun  and  projectiles  are  supplied,  and  at  a  few  the  Cunningham  rocket 
apparatus.  To  facilitate  the  transportation  of  boats  and  apparatus 
to  scenes  of  shipwreck  a  pair  of  horses  is  also  provided  at  stations 
where  they  can  not  be  hired,  and  to  those  stations  where  the  supplies, 
mails,  etc.,  have  to  be  brought  by  water  a  supply  boat  is  furnished. 

All  the  stations  on  the  ocean  coast  of  Long  Island,  29  stations  on 
the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  9  stations  on  the  coast  between  Cape  Hen- 
lopen  and  Cape  Charles,  and  all  the  stations  between  Cape  Henry 
and  Hatteras  Inlet  are  connected  by  telephone  lines. 

The  few  Lake  stations  located  upon  the  sand  beaches  are  similar 
in  all  respects  to  those  upon  the  seacoast,  but  those  situated  at  the 
harbors  differ  from  them  in  that  room  is  provided  for  a  heavy  life- 
boat and  for  a  small  boat  for  quick  work  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  station.  The  buildings  are  usually  located  not  far  from  the 
water's  edge,  behind  one  of  the  piers  of  cribwork  forming  the  sides  of 
the  harbor  entrance.  An  inclined  platform,  upon  which  are  laid  two 
tramways  for  the  launching  of  the  boats,  extends  from  the  boat  room 
35008—12 2 


10  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

down  to  the  water  through  an  opening  cut  in  the  pier.  Cradles  or 
cars  are  provided,  on  which  the  boats  are  kept  mounted  and  by  which 
they  can  be  put  afloat  with  the  men  at  their  oars  in  half  a  minute. 
Exit  for  the  surf  boat  wagon  and  apparatus  cart  is  also  provided  in 
the  rear  of  the  building,  in  case  it  should  be  necessary  to  transport 
them  along  the  shore.  These  stations  usually  have  telephone  con- 
nection with  the  systems  of  the  adjacent  towns. 

The  houses  of  refuge  on  the  Florida  coast  are  simple  dwellings,  not 
unlike  those  common  at  the  South,  with  capacity  sufficient  for  the 
residence  of  a  family,  and  for  the  temporary  shelter  of  as  many  as 
are  likely  to  need  it.  The  distance  between  them  averages  26  miles, 
and  at  each  mile  along  the  coast  are  placed  guideposts  indicating  the 
distance  and  direction  to  the  nearest  station.  The  houses  are  sup- 
plied with  cots  and  provisions  sufficient  to  succor  25  persons  for  10 
days.  No  boats  or  apparatus  are  provided,  except  a  small  galva- 
ni£ed-iron  boat  for  the  use  of  the  keeper. 

The  floating  station  at  Louisville  is  a  scow-shaped  hull,  on  which  is 
a  house  of  two  stories  surmounted  by  a  lookout.  Besides  the  house- 
keeping furniture  there  are  but  few  equipments ;  two  boats,  called  life 
skiffs,  and  two  reels,  each  with  capacity  to  hold  a  coil  of  5-inch 
manila  rope,  and  so  placed  in  the  boat  room  that  a  line  can  be  speed- 
ily run  out  from  either,  or,  if  desired,  that  they  can  be  rolled  out  of 
the  boat  room,  with  the  lines  upon  them,  for  use  elsewhere.  The 
station  is  usually  moored  above  the  dam  at  a  place  which  will  afford 
the  readiest  access  to  boats  meeting  with  accident,  but  it  can  be  towed 
from  place  to  place  when  necessity  requires,  as  was  the  case  in  the 
great  floods  of  1883-84,  when  it  was  of  incalculable  service  in  rescu- 
ing people  from  the  upper  stories  and  roofs  of  their  inundated 
dwellings  and  in  distributing  food  to  the  famishing.  On  these  two 
calamitous  occasions  the  crew  of  this  station  rescued  and  took  to 
places  of  safety  over  800  imperiled  persons,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren— among  them  many  sick  and  infirm — and  supplied  food  and 
other  necessaries  to  more  than  10,000. 

The  station  buildings  upon  the  coast  are  all  constructed  with  a 
view  to  withstand  the  severest  tempests.  Those  located — as  many 
necessarily  are — where  they  are  liable  to  be  undermined  or  swept 
from  their  positions  by  the  ravages  of  storms  and  tidal  waves  are  so 
strongly  put  together  that  they  may  be  overthrown  and  sustain  but 
trifling  injury.  There  are  instances  on  record  where  they  have  been 
carried  a  long  distance  inland — in  one  case  a  half  a  mile — without 
sustaining  material  damage.  This  substantial  construction  also  en- 
ables them  to  be  easily  and  cheaply  moved  when  threatened  by  the 
gradual  encroachment  of  the  sea,  which,  upon  many  sections  of  the 
coast,  effects  in  the  course  of  years  great  changes  in  the  configuration 
of  the  coast  line. 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  11 

Since  the  establishment  is  closely  related  to  commerce  and  the  col- 
lection of  the  revenue,  it  is  attached  to  the  Treasury  Department, 
which  discharges  all  executive  functions  of  that  character.  It  has, 
indeed,  from  its  earliest  inception  been  formed  and  fostered  by  that 
department.  The  present  system  was  established  in  1871,  upon  the 
New  Jersey  and  Long  Island. coasts,  by  a  code  of  regulations  under 
the  authority  of  somewhat  scattered  and  fragmentary  legislation. 
Acts  of  Congress  passed  since  that  time  have  extended  it  to  embrace 
the  entire  ocean  and  Lake  coasts,  which  are  divided  into  12  districts, 
limited  in  general  by  prominent  natural  or  political  boundaries. 

The  chief  officer  of  the  Service  is  the  General  Superintendent, 
whose  appointment  is  made  by  the  President  and  confirmed  by  the 
Senate.  No  one  is  eligible  to  the  position  who  is  not  familiar  with 
the  means  employed  in  the  Service  for  the  saving  of  life  and  property 
from  shipwreck.  The  law  places  no  limit  upon  the  tenure  of  this 
officer,  which  is  therefore  subject  to  the  pleasure  of  the  President. 
He  has  general  charge  of  the  Service  and  of  all  administrative  mat- 
ters connected  with  it.  His  compensation  is  $4,000  per  annum. 
An  assistant  general  superintendent,  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  assists  him,  and  in  his  absence  performs  his  duties. 
His  compensation  is  $2,500  per  annum. 

The  office  of  the  General  Superintendent  is  in  Washington,  where, 
to  assist  in  the  transaction  of  business,  are  employed  a  corps  of 
clerks,  a  civil  engineer,  a  topographer  and  hydrographer,  and  a 
draftsman.  To  assist  the  General  Superintendent  in  investigating 
devices  and  inventions  for  the  improvement  of  life-saving  apparatus 
there  has  been  formed  a  Board  on  Life-Saving  Appliances,  composed 
of  experts  selected  from  the  Life-Saving  Service  and  others.  It  is 
their  duty  to  examine  and  report  upon  such  devices  as  may  be  sub- 
mitted to  them. 

The  next  official  in  rank  to  the  General  Superintendent  is  the 
Inspector,  an  officer  detailed  from  the  Revenue- Cutter  Service  upon 
the  request  and  recommendation  of  the  General  Superintendent. 
His  headquarters  are  in  New  York  City.  Besides  making  periodical 
inspections  of  the  stations,  he  performs  such  other  duties  in  connec- 
tion with  the  conduct  of  the  Service  as  the  General  Superintendent 
may  direct.  Nearly  all  the  self -bailing  and  self-righting  lifeboats 
are  built  in  New  York,  and  most  of  the  apparatus  is  manufactured 
there.  He  is,  therefore,  required  to  inspect  and  superintend  the  work 
upon  these.  Under  the  system  pursued  by  the  Government  for  mak- 
ing purchases  of  goods  for  its  use,  a  large  proportion  of  the  outfits 
and  supplies  for  the  stations  are  obtained  in  that  city,  and  these  he 
is  also  required  to  inspect.  An  assistant  inspector  is  detailed  to  the 
office  of  the  Inspector,  and  in  his  absence  acts  for  him.  Such  other 
assistance  as  is  found  necessary  is  also  allowed. 


12  UNITED    STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

An  assistant  inspector  is  also  detailed  from  the  Revenue-Cutter 
Service  for  each  district.  He  is  authorized  to  perform  within  his 
district  any  of  the  duties  of  the  Inspector  under  the  latter's  direction. 
He  visits  each  station  monthly  during  the  "  active  season,"  and  upon 
each  visit,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  routine  of  inspection,  he  exam- 
ines and  practices  the  crews  in  their  duties.  On  his  first  tour  after 
the  opening  of  the  stations  in  each  year  he  examines  the  keepers  and 
men  as  to  the  required  qualifications,  reporting  for  dismissal  any 
found  Avanting.  Upon  each  succeeding  visit  he  makes  a  similar 
examination  of  all  persons  who  have  entered  the  Service  since  his 
previous  visit.  He  makes  special  visits  to  any  of  the  stations  when 
necessary.  Whenever  a  shipwreck  attended  with  a  loss  of  life  occurs 
within  the  domain  of  the  Service,  an  assistant  inspector  is  detailed 
to  carefully  investigate  all  the  circumstances  connected  with  the 
disaster,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  its  cause,  and  Avhether  the  officers 
or  employees  of  the  Service  have  been  guilty  of  neglect  or  misconduct. 
The  results  of  these  investigations  are  published  in  the  annual  reports. 
The  Inspector  and  assistant  inspectors  receive  110  other  compensation 
than  that  pertaining  to  their  rank  in  their  own  corps. 

Each  district  is  under  the  immediate  charge  of  a  superintendent,  ami 
for  the  coast  of  Rhode  Island — a  portion  of  the  third  district,  widely 
separated  by  water  from  the  other  portion  and  from  the  adjacent  dis- 
trict, but  not  large  enough  to  form  a  district  by  itself — there  is  an  as- 
sistant superintendent.  These  officers  must  be  men  of  good  character 
and  correct  habits,  not  less  than  25  nor  more  than  55  years  of  age 
when  appointed;  able  to  read  and  write  English  readily,  and  have 
sufficient  knowledge  of  accounts  to  properly  transact  the  district  busi- 
ness. They  must  be  residents  of  the  respective  districts  for  which 
they  are  chosen,  familiar  with  the  line  of  coast  embraced  within  them, 
and  conversant  with  the  management  of  lifeboats  and  other  life-saving 
appliances.  They  are  rigidly  examined  as  to  these  qualifications  by 
the  General  Superintendent  and  the  Inspector.  They  are  disbursing 
officers  and  paymasters  for  their  respective  districts,  and  are  required 
to  enter  into  bonds  varying  in  amount  from  $10,000  to  $50.000,  accord- 
ing to  the  fiscal  responsibility  placed  upon  them.  They  are  also  ex 
officio  inspectors  of  customs.  They  conduct  the  general  business  of 
their  districts,  look  after  the  needs  of  the  stations,  make  requisition 
on  the  General  Superintendent  for  station  supplies,  repairs,  etc.,  and 
upon  receipt  of  authority  see  that  these  are  furnished.  They  visit  the 
stations  at  least  once  a  quarter  to  acquaint  themselves  with  their  con- 
dition. On  these  occasions  they  pay  off  the  crews  and  make  such  other 
disbursements  as  are  authorized.  As  inspectors  of  customs  they  look 
after  the  interests  of  the  Government  in  reference  to  dutiable  prop- 
erty wrecked  within  their  jurisdiction,  and  see  that  the  keepers  of 
stations  perform  their  duties  in  respect  thereto.  Their  compensation 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  13 

ranges  from  $1,000  to  $1,800  per  annum,  and  is  designed  to  be  propor- 
tionate to  the  extent  of  their  duties  and  to  the  degree  of  fiscal  re- 
sponsibility incumbent  upon  them  severally. 

-  P]ach  station  has  a  keeper  who  has  direct  control  of  all  its  affairs. 
The  position  held  by  this  officer  will  be  recognized  at  once  as  one  of 
the  most  important  in  the  Service.  He  is,  therefore,  selected  with  the 
greatest  care.  The  indispensable  qualifications  for  appointment  are 
that  he  shall  be  of  good  character  and  habits,  not  less  than  21  nor 
more  than  45  years  of  age;  have  sufficient  education  to  be  able  to 
transact  the  station  business;  be  able-bodied,  physically  sound,  and  a 
master  of  boat  craft  and  surfing.  He  is  usually  nominated  by  the  dis- 
trict  superintendent,  the  initial  step  being  left  to  that  officer  because 
of  the  extensive  acquaintance  he  is  supposed  to  have  with  the  class  of 
men  from  which  the  choice  must  be  made,  by  reason  of  long  residence 
among  them,  and  because  of  the  degree  of  responsibility  resting  upon 
him  for  the  condition  and  conduct  of  his  district.  So  much  depends, 
however,  upon  the  selection  that  an  effort  is  made  to  eliminate,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  chance  that  any  political,  social,  or  personal  interests 
shall  intentionally  or  unintentionally  enter  into  it.  In  the  vicinity  of 
nearly  all  the  stations  there  are  numbers  of  fishermen  and  wreckers 
who  have  followed  their  callings  from  boyhood  and  become  expert  in 
the  handling  of  boats  in  broken  water,  and  among  these  there  is 
usually  some  one  who,  by  common  consent,  is  recognized  as  a  leader 
par  excellence.  He  is  the  man  it  is  desirable  to  obtain  for  keeper, 
unless  there  be  some  fault  of  character  which  should  exclude  him. 
The  nomination  is  accompanied  by  a  statement  of  the  reasons  which 
guided  the  district  superintendent  in  his  choice,  and  a  certificate  of 
the  candidate's  physical  soundness,  made  by  a  surgeon  of  the  Marine- 
Hospital  Service,  after  careful  examination.  Before  granting  his 
approval  the  General  Superintendent  submits  the  nomination  to  the 
district  inspector  for  his  views,  and  if  after  thorough  inquiry  he  con- 
curs, the  General  Superintendent  approves  and  the  appointment  is 
made.  If  he  does  not  concur,  and  his  stated  reasons  seem  to  justify 
his  conclusion,  the  General  Superintendent  takes  such  action  as  he 
<  1  coins  best,  either  calling  upon  the  district  superintendent  to  submit 
another  nomination,  or  visiting  the  locality  himself  and  seeking  out, 
the  proper  person.  It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  state,  and  it  is  an 
evidence  of  the  singleness  of  purpose  and  strict  appreciation  of  duty 
which  actuate  both  the  district  officers,  that  difference  of  opinion  in 
reference  to  a  nomination  has  rarely  arisen  between  them. 

It  is  not  found  difficult  to  fill  vacancies  that  occur  among  the  keep- 
ers at  old  stations,  or  along  that  portion  of  the  coast  where  the  sta- 
tions are  contiguous.  Either  from  the  crew  where  the  vacancy 
exists,  or  from  a  neighboring  one,  there  is  selected  the  most  competent 
surf  man,  the  merits  of  all  having  been  ascertained  by  inspection  and 


14  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

drill  and  recorded  in  the  central  office.  Earely,  it  is  considered  for 
the  best  advantage  and  welfare  of  the  service  to  take  some  person 
from  without;  in  which  case  the  district  officers  are  required  to  set 
forth  specifically  all  the  facts  upon  which  this  conclusion  is  based. 
The  original  selection  of  keepers  for  new  stations  remote  from  others 
is  less  easily  determined. 

The  keepers  are  required  to  reside  constantly  at  their  stations ;  a  re 
intrusted  with  the  care  and  custody  of  the  station  property,  for 
which  they  are  accountable;  and  govern  the  station  premises.  They 
are  captains  of  their  crews;  exercise  absolute  control  over  them  (sub- 
ject only  to  the  restriction  of  the  regulations  of  the  service  and  the 
orders  of  superior  officers) ;  lead  them  and  share  their  perils  on  all 
occasions  of  rescue,  taking  always  the  steering  oar  when  the  boats  are 
used,  and  directing  all  operations  with  the  apparatus.  They  are 
also  ex  officio  inspectors  of  customs,  and  as  such  take  care  of  the 
Government  interests  in  relation  to  dutiable  goods  on  wrecked  ves- 
sels, until  the  arrival  of  other  customs  officers.  By  law  they  are  also 
made  guardians  of  all  wrecked  property  until  relieved  by  the  owners 
or  their  agents,  or  until  instructed  by  superior  authority  as  to  its 
disposition. 

No  crews  are  employed  at  houses  of  refuge,  but  the  keepers  and 
their  families  travel  after  storms  as  far  as  practicable  along  the  shore 
in  both  directions  from  the  stations,  searching  for  persons  possibly 
cast  ashore. 

A  daily  journal  or  log  is  required  to  be  kept  at  every  station, 
weekly  transcripts  of  which  the  keeper  sends  through  the  district 
superintendent  to  the  General  Superintendent,  who  is  thus  kept  ad- 
vised of  all  that  transpires.  Immediately  after  the  occurrence  of  a 
wreck  the  keeper  furnishes  a  complete  report  of  every  detail  of 
interest  concerning  the  disaster,  and  from  time  to  time  various  other 
reports  are  required  of  him.  Any  false  statement  made  in  the  books 
or  reports  subjects  him  to  instant  dismissal. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  is  authorized  to  grant  the  keepers  a 
compensation  not  to  exceed  $800  per  annum.  The  maximum  amount 
is  paid  only  to  one  or  two,  whose  stations  are  so  isolated  that  they 
are  obliged  to  secure  an  associate  to  reside  with  them  when  the  crews 
are  off  duty,  and  to  such  keepers  as  have  remarkably  distinguished 
themselves  by  bravery  and  effective  service.  The  usual  salary  paid 
is  $700  per  annum ;  to  keepers  of  houses  of  refuge,  only  $400. 

The  law  provides  that  the  stations  on  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts 
shall  be  opened  and  manned  for  active  service  from  the  1st  day  of 
September  in  each  year  until  the  1st  day  of  the  succeeding  May,  and 
those  on  the  Lake  coasts  from  the  opening  to  the  close  of  navigation, 
usually  from  about  the  15th  of  April  to  about  the  15th  of  December. 
On  the  Pacific  coast  the  period  is  left  discretionary  with  the  General 


UNITED  STATES  LIFE-SAVING  SERVICE.  15 

Superintendent.  The  time  during  which  the  stations  are  manned  is 
designated  the  "  active  season."  Four  of  the  stations  on  the  Pacific 
coast  are  kept  open  the  year  round,  experience  having  shown  that 
disasters  in  their  neighborhood  occur  more  frequently  from  local 
causes  than  from  stress  of  weather,  and  are  about  as  liable  to  happen 
at  one  season  as  at  another.  For  similar  reasons  a  crew  is  kept 
continuously  at  the  Louisville  station. 

The  number  of  men  composing  the  crew  of  a  station  is  determined 
by  the  number  of  oars  required  to  pull  the  largest  boat  belonging  to 
it.  There  are  some  five-oared  boats  in  the  Atlantic  stations,  but  at 
all  of  them  there  is  at  least  one  of  six  oars.  Six  men,  therefore,  make 
up  the  regular  crews  of  these  stations,  but  a  seventh  man  is  added  on 
the  1st  of  December,  so  that  during  the  most  rigorous  portion  of  the 
season  a  man  may  be  left  ashore  to  assist  in  the  launching  and  beach- 
ing of  the  boat  and  to  see  that  the  station  is  properly  prepared  for 
the  comfortable  reception  of  his  comrades  and  the  rescued  people 
they  bring  with  them  on  their  return  from  a  wreck;  also  to  aid  in 
doing  the  extra  work  that  severe  weather  necessitates.  Where  the 
self-righting  and  self-bailing  boat  which  pulls  eight  oars  is  used, 
mostly  at  the  lake  stations,  a  corresponding  number  of  men  is  em- 
ployed. 

The  crews  are  selected  by  the  keepers  from  able-bodied  and  expe- 
rienced surfmen  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  the  respective  stations. 
This  privilege  is  granted  the  keepers  in  view  of  the  obvious  necessity 
for  mutual  confidence  between  a  leader  and  his  followers  in  hazardous 
enterprises  involving  their  own  lives  and  the  lives  of  others,  and  in 
view  of  the  strict  responsibility  to  which  each  keeper  is  held  for  the 
good  repute  of  his  station  and  the  conduct  of  its  affairs. 

In  the  absence  of  strong  counteracting  inducements  these  con- 
siderations would  naturally  lead  to  the  choice  of  the  very  best  men 
to  be  had.  It  was  early  found,  however,  that  political,  social,  and 
family  influences  were  often  strong  enough  to  so  control  the  selec- 
tion as  to  materially  affect  the  efficiency  of  a  crew.  To  oppose  them 
certain  regulations  were  established,  the  most  important  of  which 
provided  that  the  selection  of  keepers  and  crews  should  be  made 
solely  with  reference  to  their  fitness  and  without  regard  to  their  party 
affiliations.  This,  after  being  enforced  for  several  years,  received  in 
1882  the  sanction  of  Congress,  being  at  the  same  time  extended  to 
the  appointment  of  district  superintendents  and  inspectors.  This 
enactment  greatly  aids  successful  resistance  to  the  most  insidious  and 
potent  evil  that  has  ever  threatened  the  welfare  of  the  service. 
Another  important  regulation  forbids  a  keeper  to  take  into  his  crew 
his  brother,  father,  or  son,  except  where  adherence  to  the  rule  would 
be  detrimental  to  the  Service.  This  was  found  necessary  to  counter- 
vail the  quite  natural  inclination  of  keepers  to  provide  situations  for 


16  UNITED    STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

their  near  kinsmen,  even  to  the  serious  detriment  of  the  strength  and 
morale  of  the  station  force. 

Protected  by  these  and  a  few  less  noteworthy  safeguards,  the 
method  adopted  for  manning  the  stations  has  filled  them  with  the 
very  pick  and  flower  of  the  hardy  race  of  beachmen  who  inhabit  our 
shores.  No  better  evidence  of  the  virtue  of  the  plan  can  be  desired 
than  the  fact  that  during  the  18  years  it  has  governed  the  selection 
of  the  men  not  one  has  shown  the  white  feather,  while  the  pages  of 
the  annual  reports  of  the  service  are  crowded  with  the  records  of  gal- 
lant deeds  that  have  made  them  famous  throughout  the  land. 

Upon  original  entry  into  the  service  a  surf  man  must  be  not  over 
45  years  of  age,  and  sound  in  body,  being  subjected  to  a  rigid  physical 
examination  by  a  surgeon  of  the  Marine-Hospital  Service.  He  is 
afterwards  examined  as  to  expertness  in  the  management  of  boats  and 
matters  of  that  character  by  the  inspector  of  the  district.  The  regula- 
tions setting 'forth  his  duties  being  read  to  him,  he  is  enlisted  by 
signing  articles  by  which  he  agrees  to  reside  at  the  station  continu- 
ously during  the  "  active  season,"  to  perform  such  duties  as  may  be 
required  of  him  by  the  regulations  and  by  his  superior  officers,  and 
also  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  for  service  during  the  inactive 
season,  if  called  upon.  Desertion  entails  a  forfeiture  of  his  wages,  to 
be  exacted  in  the  discretion  of  the  General  Superintendent.  His  com- 
pensation is  $50  per  month  during  the  "  active  season,"  and  $3  for 
each  occasion  of  service  at  other  times.  Beyond  the  wages  mentioned 
the  surfmen  receive  no  allowances  or  emoluments  of  any  kind,  except 
the  quarters  and  fuel  provided  at  the  stations.  Their  food  and  cloth- 
ing they  themselves  supply. 

No  person  belonging  to  the  Service  is  permitted  to  hold  an  interest 
in  any  wrecking  apparatus,  or  to  be  connected  with  any  wrecking 
company;  nor  is  he  entitled  to  salvage  upon  any  property  he  may 
save  or  assist  to  save. 

A  surfman  can  not  be  discharged  from  the  service  without  good 
and  sufficient  reason.  For  well-proven  neglect  of  patrol  duty,  or 
for  disobedience  or  insubordination  at  a  wreck,  the  keeper  may 
instantly  dismiss  him;  in  all  other  cases  special  authority  must  be 
first  obtained  from  the  General  Superintendent. 

In  case  a  keeper  or  surfman  becomes  disabled  by  injury  received 
or  disease  contracted  in  the  line  of  duty,  he  is  entitled  to  receive 
his  full  pay  during  the  continuance  of  the  disability,  if  it  does  not 
exceed  one  year,  and  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  General  Super- 
intendent the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  may  extend  the  time  for  a 
second  year,  or  a  part  thereof,  but  no  longer  in  any  case.  If  any 
keeper  or  surfman  loses  his  life  by  reason  of  injury  or  disease  in- 
curred in  the  line  of  his  duty,  his  widow  or  children  under  16  years 
of  age  may  receive  for  two  years  the  pay  that  the  deceased  would 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  17 

have  if  alive  and  in  the  Service.  If  the  widow  remarries  or  a  child 
arrives  at  the  age  of  16,  the  amount  that  would  have  been  paid  to 
the  one  or  the  other  goes  to  the  remaining  beneficiaries,  if  any.  It 
will  be  seen  at  once  that  this  beneficence  affords  certain  advantages 
to  the  widow  which  the  ordinary  pension  does  not  furnish,  inasmuch 
as  the  death  of  her  husband  does  not  add  to  her  grief  the  misfor- 
tune of  financial  embarrassment  by  cutting  off  or  diminishing  the 
family  income  at  a  time  when  the  funeral  expenses  make  an  unusual 
demand  upon  it. 

At  the  opening  of  the  "  active  season  "  the  men  assemble  at  their 
respective  stations  and  establish  themselves  for  a  residence  of  eight 
months.  They  arrange  for  their  housekeeping,  usually  by  forming 
a  mess,  taking  turns  by  weeks  in  catering  and  cooking,  although  at 
some  of  the  stations  they  engage  board  of  the  keeper  at  a  rate  ap- 
proved by  the  General  Superintendent.  These  preliminaries  being 
settled,  the  keeper  organizes  his  crew  by  arranging  and  numbering 
them  in  their  supposed  order  of  merit,  the  most  competent  and 
trustworthy  being  designated  as  No.  1,  the  next  No.  2,  and  so  on. 
These  numbers  are  changed  by  promotion  as  vacancies  occur,  or  by 
such  rearrangement  from  time  to  time  as  proficiency  in  drill  and 
performance  of  duty  may  dictate.  Whenever  the  keeper  is  absent. 
No.  1  assumes  command  and  exercises  his  functions. 

The  rank  of  his  men  being  fixed,  the  keeper  assigns  to  each  his 
quarters  and  prepares  station  bills  for  the  day  watch,  night  patrol, 
boat  and  apparatus  drill,  care  of  the  premises,  etc.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  watch  and  patrol,  the  district  officers  establish  patrol  limits 
as  far  as  practicable  along  the  coast  in  both  directions  from  the 
stations,  marking  them  by  distinct  monuments,  and  a  description 
of  the  beats  thus  laid  out  is  sent  to  the  office  of  the  General  Superin- 
tendent. The  day  watch  is  kept  from  sunrise  to  sunset  by  a  surf- 
man  daily  assigned  to  this  duty,  who  is  usually  stationed  in  the 
lookout,  and  who,  if  the  patrol  limits  can  not  be  seen  from  there, 
goes  at  least  three  times  a  day  far  enough  along  the  shore  to  bring 
them  into  view.  During  thick  and  stormy  weather  a  complete 
patrol  like  that  at  night  is  maintained.  At  the  harbor  stations  on 
the  Lakes,  at  the  river  station  at  Louisville,  and  at  other  places  where 
accidents  are  frequent,  there  is  connected  with  the  lookout  a  gong, 
by  means  of  which  the  crew  is  alarmed  when  occasion  requires.  The 
day  watch  keeps  a  record  of  all  passing  vessels. 

For  the  night  patrol  the  night  is  divided  into  four  watches — :one 
from  sunset  to  8  o'clock,  one  from  8  to  12,  one  from  12  to  4,  and  one 
from  4  to  sunrise.  Two  surfmen  are  designated  for  each  watch. 
When  the  hour  for  their  patrol  arrives  they  set  out  in  opposite  direc- 
tions along  the  coast,  keeping  as  near  as  practicable  to  the  shore,  as 
far  as  the  ends  of  their  respective  beats.  If  within  communicating 
35008—12 3 


~18  UNITED   S-7ATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

distance  from  an  adjacent  stati^n>  each  patrolman  proceeds  until  he 
imeets  another  from  the  next  station  and  giyes  him  a  metallic  check 
marked  with  his  station  and  crew  iit*m»Nr>  receiving  in  exchange  a 
similar  one.  The  checks  thus  collected  are  examined  by  the  keeper, 
recorded  in  the  journal,  and  returned  to  their  proper  stations  the  next 
night.  If  a  patrolman  fails  to  meet  his  fellow  from  the  adjacent 
station,  after  waiting  a  reasonable  time  at  the  usual  place  of  meeting, 
he  continues  his  journey  until  he  either  meets  him  or  reaches  that 
station  and  ascertains  the  cause  of  the  failure,  which,  on  his  return, 
he  reports  to  his  keeper,  who  makes  a  record  of  it  in  his  journal. 

At  isolated  stations  each  patrolman  is  required  to  carry  a  clock 
within  which  is  fixed  a  dial  that  can  be  marked  only  by  means  of  a 
key  which  also  registers  the  time  of  marking.  This  key  is  secured  to 
a  post  at  the  end  of  his  beat,  and  he  is  required  to  reach  it  and  bring 
back  the  dial  properly  marked. 

Each  patrolman  is  equipped  with  a  beach  lantern  and  several  red 
Coston  hand  lights.  Upon  the  discovery  of  a  wreck,  a  vessel  in  dis- 
tress, or  one  running  dangerously  near  the  shore,  he  ignites  by  per- 
cussion his  hand  light,  which  emits  a  brilliant  red  flame.  This  serves 
the  double  purpose  of  warning  the  people  on  the  vessel  of  their 
danger  and  of  assuring  them  of  succor  if  they  are  already  in  distress. 

For  every  week  day  a  regular  routine  of  duties  is  appointed.  For 
Monday,  it  is  drill  and  practice  with  the  beach  apparatus  and  over- 
hauling and  examining  the  boats  and  all  apparatus  and  gear;  for 
Tuesday,  practice  with  the  boats;  for  Wednesday,  practice  with  the 
International  Code  of  signals;  for  Thursday,  practice  with  the  beach 
apparatus ;  for  Friday,  practice  in  the  method  adopted  for  restoring 
the  apparently  drowned ;  and  for  Saturday,  cleaning  house.  When- 
ever anything  prevents  the  regular  performance  of  any  of  these 
duties,  the  fact  must  be  entered  upon  the  station  journal,  with  a 
full  explanation,  and  the  omitted  exercise  performed  at  the  first 
-opportunity. 

For  practice  with  the  beach  apparatus  there  is  provided  near  each 
station  a  suitable  drill  ground,  prepared  by  erecting  a  spar,  called  a 
wreck  pole,  to  represent  the  mast  of  a  stranded  vessel  75  yards  distant 
(over  the  water  if  possible)  from  the  place  where  the  men  operate, 
which  represents  the  shore.  At  drill  the  crew  is  mustered  in  the  boat 
room,  and  each  man,  upon  his  number  being  called,  salutes  the  com- 
manding officer  and  recites  in  proper  sequence  every  act  he  is  to  per- 
form in  the  exercise  as  prescribed  in  the  Service  manual.  At  the 
proper  words  of  command  they  all  fall  into  their  allotted  places  at 
the  dragropes  of  the  apparatus  cart  and  draw  it  to  the  drill  ground, 
where  they  perform  the  remainder  of  the  exercise,  which  consists  in 
effecting  a  mimic  rescue  by  rigging  the  gear  and  taking  a  man 
ashore  from  the  wreck  pole  in  the  breeches-buoy.  The  officer  con- 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  19 

ducting  the  drill  carefully  notes  the  time  which  elapses  from  the 
moment  he  gives  the  initial  command  "  action  "  until  the  rescued  man 
sets  foot  upon  the  shore. 

If  in  one  month  after  the  opening  of  the  "  active  season  "  a  crew  can 
not  accomplish  the  rescue  within  five  minutes,  it  is  considered  that 
they  have  been  remiss  in  drilling  or  that  there  are  some  stupid  men 
among  them.  They  are  cautioned  that  if  upon  the  next  visit  of  the 
inspector  a  marked  improvement  is  not  shown  some  decisive  action 
will  be  taken  to  secure  it.  This  usually  produces  the  desired  effect. 
In  many  of  the  districts  a  spirited  rivalry  exists  between  the  sta- 
tions for  excellence  in  this  drill.  It  has  been  executed  without  error 
by  several  crews  in  two  minutes  and  thirty  seconds.  I  confess  I  was 
incredulous  of  the  possibility  of  such  a  feat  until  I  witnessed  it  my- 
self;  but  even  this  is  perhaps  less  surprising  than  the  time  attained 
at  some  of  the  night  drills,  when,  without  lights  other  than  the  moon 
and  stars,  the  shot  has  been  fired,  the  apparatus  set  up,  and  a  man 
brought  ashore  from  the  wreck  pole  in  three  minutes.  Of  course, 
nothing  like  such  celerity  can  be  expected  in  effecting  rescues  at  actual 
shipwrecks,  when  storms,  currents,  surf,  the  motion  of  the  vessel, 
the  lack  of  skillful  cooperation  on  the  wreck,  and  many  other  un- 
favorable elements  conspire  to  obstruct  progress,  and  the  practice  of 
timing  the  drill  was  instituted  not  so  much  with  the  expectation  of 
materially  hastening  the  work  of  rescue  as  with  the  design  of  giving 
the  men  the  utmost  familiarity  with  the  stowage  of  the  apparatus  in 
the  cart,  with  its  uses,  and  with  the  method  of  handling  it. 

How  well  this  purpose  is  fulfilled  has  been  repeatedly  illustrated  on 
occasions  of  rescue,  but  never  better  than  in  the  memorable  storm  of 
February  3,  1880,  which  wrought  general  ruin  and  devastation  upon 
the  coast  of  New  Jersey  and  strewed  her  shores  with  wrecks.  In  the 
very  height  of  that  terrible  tempest,  at  the  dead  of  night,  the  crews 
of  three  separate  stations  rescued  without  mishap  the  people  on  four 
different  vessels  by  means  of  the  apparatus,  set  up  and  worked  in 
almost  utter  darkness,  the  lanterns  of  the  surfmen  being  so  thickly 
coated  with  sleet  that  they  emitted  only  glimmers  of  light  so  feeble 
that  the  lines  and  implements  could  not  be  seen.  These  and  the 
other  rescues  achieved  in  that  storm  excited  such  public  admiration 
that  the  State  legislature  unanimously  passed  resolutions  commend- 
ing the  skill  and  bravery  of  the  station  crews. 

Boat  practice  consists  in  launching  and  landing  through  the  surf 
and  at  least  a  half  hour's  exercise  in  handling  the  oars  under  the 
keeper's  direction. 

Drill  in  signaling  is  conducted  by  interrogating  each  surfman  as  to 
the  meaning  of  the  various  flags,  the  definitions  of  two-,  three-,  and 
four-flag  hoists,  the  distinguishing  flag  or  pennant  of  each  hoist,  the 
use  of  the  code  book,  and  by  actual  conversation  carried  on  by  means 


20  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

of  two  sets  of  miniature  signals  provided  for  each  station^  Frequent 
practice  is  also  had  between  the  stations  and  revenue  vessels. 

The  method  adopted  for  restoring  the  apparently  drowned  is  for- 
mulated into  four  rules  which  each  member  of  the  crew  commits  to 
memory.  In  drill  he  is  required  to  repeat  these  and  afterwards  illus- 
trate them  by  manipulations  upon  one  of  his  comrades.  The  medicine 
chest  is  also  opened,  and  he  is  examined  as  to  the  use'  of  its  contents. 

The  proficiency  of  every  keeper  and  surfman  in  the  several  branches 
of  qualification  in  which  he  is  thus  trained,  as  ascertained  in  the 
drills  conducted  by  the  district  inspectors  on  their  monthly;  visits,  is 
marked  by  those  officers  in  their  drill  books  upon  a  scale  oi  10 ;  and 
transcripts  of  this  rating  are  transmitted  to  the  General  Superintend- 
ent, who  is  thus  kept  constantly  informed  of  the  effectiveness  of  the 
corps. 

The  ultimate  means  employed  by  life-saving  institutions  to  rescue 
people  from  stranded  vessels  are  everywhere  essentially  the  same. 
The  tumultuous  waters  between  the  wreck  and  the  shore  are  either 
crossed  by  a  lifeboat  sent  out  to  the  imperiled  people  or  are  spanned 
by  strong  lines  by  which  a  breeches-buoy  or  other  vehicle  is  passed 
back  and  forth.  There  are  many  kinds  of  lifeboats,  however,  and 
various  devices  for  effecting  line  communication.  The  type  of  boat  in 
most  general  use  in  our  service,  although  properly  entitled  to  be 
called  a  lifeboat,  is  distinctively  known  as  the  surfboat,  and  this  term 
will  be  applied  to  it  in  the  remarks  which  follow  upon  this  topic. 
There  are  several  varieties  of  this  type,  all  developments  of  the  boat 
found  in  use  among  the  shore  fishermen  or  surfmen  of  the  Long- 
Island  and  New  Jersey  coasts  for  crossing  the  surf  on  the  outlying 
sandbars  in  their  daily  blue  fishing  when  the  first  boathouses  or  sta- 
tions were  placed  there.  Three  varieties,  respectively  designated  the 
Beebe,  the  Higgins  &  Gifford,  and  the  Beebe-McLellan  surfboat,  from 
the  names  of  the  persons  who  devised  the  modifications  whMi  char- 
acterize them,  are  the  only  ones  furnished  to  the  stations  in  recent 
years.  They  are  all  constructed  of  white  cedar  with  white-oak 
frames,  and  their  dimensions  are  from  25  to  27  feet  in  length,  6J  to 
7  feet  beam,  2  feet  3  inches  to  2  feet  6  inches  depth  amidships,  and  1 
foot  7  inches  to  2  feet  1  inch  sheer  of  gunwale.  Their  bottoms  are 
flat,  with  little  or  no  keel,  and  have  a  camber  of  1J  or  2  inches  in  8 
feet  each  side  of  the  midship  section.  They  draw  6  or  7  inches  of 
water,  light,  and  weigh  from  700  to  1,100  pounds.  They  are  pro- 
pelled with  six  oars,  without  sails,  and  are  expected  to  carry,  besides 
their  crews,  from  10  to  12  persons,  although  as  many  as  15  have  been 
landed  at  a  time  in  a  bad  sea.  Their  cost  ranges  from  $210  to  $275. 
There  is  no  great  difference  between  the  Beebe  and  the  Higgins  & 
Gifford  boat,  except  that  the  former  has  more  sheer  and  is  clinker- 
built,  while  the  latter  is  of  carvel  construction.  The  Beebe-McLel- 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  21 

Ian  boat  is  the  Beebe  boat  with  the  self -bailing  quality  incorporated. 
This  feature  has  been  added  within  the  past  two  years,  and  but  few 
of  them  have  yet  been  put  in  service.  All  of  these  boats  are  so  light 
as  to  be  readily  transported  along  the  shore ;  they  can  be  launched  in 
very  shallow  water,  and  in  the  dexterous  hands  of  our  surfmen  are 
maneuvered  in  the  breakers  with  marvelous  ease  and  celerity.  This 
facility  of  handling  is  of  great  advantage  when  working  in  proximity 
to  wrecks,  enabling  the  boat  to  evade  collision  with  floating  wreckage, 
and  to  quickly  slip  up  alongside  a  stranded  vessel  at  a  favorable  mo- 
ment and  receive  its  freight,  while  it  is  easily  fended  off  from  con- 
tact with  the  lurching  hull. 

These  boats,  of  one  variety  or  other,  are  supplied  to  nearly  all  the 
stations  in  the  service,  and  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  they  are  relied 
upon  almost  exclusively.  Indeed,  the  shores  of  soft,  yielding  sand 
without  roads,  and  the  flat  beaches  covered  with  but  little  depth  of 
water  for  a  considerable  distance  seaward,  which  almost  uniformly 
mark  the  coast  from  Cape  Cod  to  Cape  Fear,  preclude  the  use  of 
boats  of  greater  weight  and  draft.  Even  at  those  stations  where 
the  most  approved  self-righting  and  self-bailing  boats  are  furnished 
the  surfboats  are  generally  preferred  by  the  life-saving  crews  for 
short  distances  and  when  the  number  of  imperiled  people  is  not 
large.  In  executing  the  work  required  at  minor  casualties,  such  as 
aiding  to  float  stranded  craft  by  carrying  out  anchors,  running  lines 
to  tugs,  etc.,  they  are  especially  handy  and  by  their  use  a  vast  amount 
of  property  has  been  saved. 

As  respects  safety  they  will  compare  favorably  with  any  other 
boats.  During  the  18  years  they  have  been  in  the  hands  of  our  crews 
they  have  been  launched  6,730  times  in  actual  service  and  have  landed 
6,735  persons  from  wrecked  vessels.  In  all  this  service  they  have 
capsized  but  14  times.  Six  of  these  instances  wrere  attended  with  loss 
of  life,  the  number  of  persons  perishing  being  41,  of  whom  27  be- 
longed to  the  service  and  14  were  shipwrecked  people. 

Among  other  lifeboats,  the  self-righting  and  self-bailing  boats  of 
the  Royal  National  Life-Boat  Institution  of  Great  Britain,  the  hon- 
ored mother  and  mentor  of  all  existing  life-saving  organizations,  are 
unquestionably  preeminent.  They  are  the  product  of  a  century's  de- 
voted study  and  experiment  with  unstinted  means,  dating  from  the 
time  the  London  coachmaker  first  conceived  the  idea  of  a  lifeboat. 
Their  wonderful  achievements  have  formed  the  theme  of  song  and 
story,  shed  merited  luster  upon  the  institution  which  fostered  their 
development,  and  stimulated  the  formation  of  kindred  organizations 
equipped  with  their  models  throughout  Christendom.  I  learn  from 
the  annual  reports  of  the  institution  that  during  the  same  period  of 
18  years  her  boats  have  capsized  21  times  attended  by  loss  of  life, 
the  number  perishing  aggregating  75,  of  whom  68  were  lifeboat  men 


22  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

and  7  shipwrecked  people.  The  number  of  capsizes  unattended  with 
loss  of  life  I  could  not  ascertain,  except  by  an  exhaustive  search 
through  the  detailed  accounts  of  all  the  occasions  of  service,  but  I  find 
by  the  official  report  of  the  inquiry  into  the  circumstances  of  the 
accidents  to  the  Southport  and  St.  Anne's  lifeboats  in  December,  1886, 
made  to  the  board  of  trade  by  Sir  Digby  Murray,  baronet,  and  captain, 
the  Hon.  H.  W.  Chetwynd,  of  the  royal  navy,  chief  inspector  of  life- 
boats for  the  Institution,  that  during  the  previous  32  years  the  self- 
righting  boats  of  the  Institution  had  been  launched  in  actual  service 
5,000  times,  whereby  12,000  lives  were  saved,  and  that  on  these  occa- 
sions 41  of  the  boats  had  capsized,  23  of  the  accidents  being  unat- 
tended with  loss  of  life,  while  18  were  accompanied  with  fatal  results. 
The  number  of  persons  lost  was  88,  76  being  lifeboat  men  and  12  ship- 
wrecked people.  The  report  further  states  that  "  the  76  lifeboat  men 
lost  represented  about  1  in  850  of  the  men  afloat  in  the  lifeboats  on 
service,  and  the  capsizes  1  out  of  each  120  launches  on  service."  In 
the  case  of  our  capsized  surfboats  the  27  men  lost  represented  1  in 
1,744  of  the  men  afloat  in  the  surfboats  on  service,  and  the  capsizes 
1  out  of  each  480  launches  on  service.  But  as  the  saving  of  property 
is  an  incidental  duty  imposed  upon  our  crewsf  the  surfboats,  although 
they  are  not  used  in  saving  cargoes,  are  doubtless  often  launched 
under  conditions  more  favorable  than  generally  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
boats  of  the  Institution,  and  therefore  the  number  of  launches  does 
not  afford  a  satisfactory  basis  for  comparison.  Let  us  therefore  take 
another  basis.  The  number  of  lives  saved  by  the  lifeboats  is  stated, 
as  we  have  seen,  at  12,000 — in  round  numbers,  probably.  Calling  the 
number  saved  by  the  surfboats  6,500  in  round  numbers,  we  find,  then, 
1  capsize  of  the  surfboat  to  every  464  persons  saved,  a  difference  in 
its  favor  of  172.  The  self-righting  boat  lost  1  life  to  every  136 
saved,  the  surfboat  1  to  every  158  saved,  a  difference  of  22  in  its  favor. 
Of  the  lifeboat  men  afloat,  1  to  850  were  lost  by  the  self-righting  boat, 
1  to  1,109  by  the  surfboat,  a  difference  of  259  in  favor  of  the  latter. 
In  the  lifeboat  1  man  of  the  crew  is  lost  for  every  157  lives  saved, 
in  the  surfboat  1  for  every  240  saved,  a  difference  in  favor  of  the 
surfboat  of  83. 

Since  1876  there  have  been  put  into  the  United  States  service  37 
self-righting  and  self-bailing  lifeboats  of  the  model  of  a  boat  received 
from  the  Royal  National  Life-Boat  Institution.  They  are  all  nearly 
reproductions  of  the  boat  sent  to  us.  They  are  29  feet  3  inches  in 
length,  7  feet  7  inches  beam,  3  feet  1J  inches  deep  amidships,  1  foot  10 
inches  sheer  of  gunwale,  straight-bottomed,  pull  8  oars,  and  weigh 
about  4,000  pounds  each.  This  great  weight  is  made  necessary  by  the 
device  of  a  heavy  iron  keel  to  aid  in  securing  the  self-righting  quality. 
They  have  made  on  service  471  trips  and  saved  584  persons ;  they  have 
capsized  on  service  4  times,  once  with  fatal  results,  5  lives,  all  ship- 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  23 

wrecked  people,  being  lost.  These  figures  produce  results  similar  to 
those  already  reached  in  reference  to  the  lifeboats  used  in  Great  Brit- 
ain. The  boats  have  capsized  once  in  each  118  trips,  and  once  in 
rescuing  every  146  persons,  and  one  life  has  been  lost  from  the  boats 
to  every  117  saved. 

There  are  two  other  varieties  of  self-righting  and  self -bailing  boats 
in  the  service — the  Richardson  and  the  Dobbins.  They  are  modifica- 
tions of  the  lifeboat  just  described,  though  considerably  lighter. 
They  have  not  been  used  often  enough  to  furnish  any  practical  basis 
of  comparison,  but  have  given  good  results  so  far. 

Notwithstanding  these  figures  it  would  be  unwise  to  hastily  con- 
clude that  the  surfboat  of  either  variety  mentioned  is  the  best  lifeboat 
for  all  conditions  of  service.  Among  the  boats  at  present  employed 
in  life-saving  institutions  I  know  of  none  that  can  justly  be  denomi- 
nated the  best  lifeboat.  The  type  that  is  best  for  one  locality  may  be 
ill  adapted  or  entirely  unfitted  for  another,  and  a  boat  that  would  be 
serviceable  at  one  time  might  be  worse  than  useless  at  another  in  the 
same  locality. 

On  the  larger  portion  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard  boat  service  at 
wrecks  is  not  very  distant  from  the  shore,  and  the  chief  danger  lurks 
in  the  line  of  surf  which  must  be  crossed  and  in  the  breakers  on  out- 
lying shoals.  For  this  service  the  surfboat  is  easily  transported  on 
its  carriage  through  the  loose  and  trackless  sands  of  the  strand  to  a 
point  as  near  the  wreck  as  possible,  is  quickly  unloaded,  and  at  a 
favorable  time  is  launched  in  a  minute.  The  keeper  steers  with  a 
long  steering  oar,  and  with  the  aid  of  his  trained  surf  men,  intent 
upon  his  every  look  and  command,  maneuvers  his  buoyant  craft 
through  the  surf  with  masterly  skill.  He  is  usually  able  to  avoid  a 
direct  encounter  with  the  heaviest  breakers,  but  if  he  is  obliged  to 
receive  their  onset  meets  them  directly  "head  on."  His  practiced 
hand  immediately  perceives  any  excess  of  weight  thrown  against 
either  bow  and  instantly  counteracts  its  force  with  his  oar  as  in- 
stinctively and  unerringly  as  the  skilled  musician  presses  the  proper 
key  of  his  instrument.  He  thus  keeps  his  boat  from  broaching-to 
and  avoids  a  threatened  capsize.  The  self-righting  boat  is  more  un- 
wieldy and  not  so  quickly  responsive  to  the  coxswain's  tactics,  and 
is  therefore  not  so  well  adapted  to  our  general  work. 

The  usual  conditions  of  service  in  the  United  Kingdom  are  prob- 
ably different.  The  excursions  the  lifeboats  make  on  service  are  said 
to  Be  more  extended,  and  exposure  to  violent  gales  for  long  periods 
upon  the  open  sea  more  frequent.  Our  surfboats,  it  is  true,  venture 
upon  outlying  shoals  covered  with  breakers,  such  as  the  Nantucket 
Shoals,  off  Massachusetts,  and  the  Diamond  Shoals,  off  Cape  Hat- 
teras,  but  it  is  likely  that  there  is  no  such  locality  within  the  scope  of 
our  Service  so  fatal  as  the  terrible  Goodwin  Sands,  which  are  often 


24  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

visited  by  the  boats  of  the  Koyal  National  Life-Boat  Institution,  and 
where  they  have  accomplished  so  much  noble  work.  There  are  doubt- 
less other  important  differences  in  the  requirements  of  service  with 
which  I  am  not  acquainted.  Probably,  therefore,  the  conditions  are 
so  diverse  that  no  just  conclusion  as  to  the  superiority  of  the  two 
boats  can  be  drawn  from  the  results  of  their  experience,  and  I  have 
given  these  results  in  comparison,  not  with  a  desire  to  establish  such 
a  conclusion,  but  to  show  that  the  United  States  service  has  provided 
quite  as  effective  means  for  dealing  with  the  conditions  presented  to 
it  as  the  most  eminent  organization  of  other  countries  has  for  its 
conditions,  and  because  I  thought  they  might  be  of  service  in  the 
deliberations  of  the  committee  in  considering  some  of  the  topics  of 
the  division  of  the  program  referred  to  it,  and,  further,  because  I 
thought  they  might  aid  in  the  efforts  always  being  made  by  life- 
saving  institutions  and  by  individuals  to  improve  the  safety  of  life- 
saving  boats.  Where  long  excursions  are  to  be  undertaken  and  the 
service  is  exceptionally  hazardous,  the  men  undoubtedly  feel  safer 
in  a  self-righting  boat,  and,  having  this  in  view,  it  has  been  intro- 
duced into  many  of  our  stations,  where  it  may  be  found  side  by  side 
with  the  surfboat,  the  choice  being  left  to  the  keepers  to  take  either, 
as  the  occasion  seems  in  their  experienced  judgment  to  demand. 

Self-righting  and  self-bailing  are  properties  unquestionably  de- 
sirable in  any  boat  designed  to  be  used  in  saving  life,  provided  they 
can  be  obtained  without  too  greatly  impairing  other  necessary  quali- 
ties. May  it  not  be  a  question  worthy  of  consideration  whether  these 
properties  and  the  means  of  propulsion  by  sails  can  not  be  advan- 
tageously incorporated  into  the  surfboat  without  materially  increas- 
ing its  weight  and  draft,  and  whether  such  a  boat  would  not  be 
found  to  be  better  adapted  to  perform  the  general  services  of  life- 
boats than  those  which  sit  deeply  in  the  water,  and  which,  on  that 
account  and  because  of  their  great  weight,  are  less  agile  in  action  and 
more  difficult  to  transport  and  launch?  Already,  as  I  have  said,  the 
self-bailing  property  has  been  successfully  applied  by  Lieut.  McLel- 
lan,  and  is  hailed  with  delight  by  our  crews ;  the  addition  of  sails  has 
also  been  accomplished  by  the  use  of  a  centerboard,  and  I  am  able  to 
add  that  I  believe  the  self-righting  quality  is  on  the  verge  of  success- 
ful application.  One  boat  of  this  kind  is  already  built,  and  with 
slight  changes,  which  seem  entirely  practicable,  I  believe  will  satis- 
factorily solve  the  problem,  at  least  so  far  as  to  answer  all  the  pur- 
poses of  our  Service.  When  this  result  is  attained,  why  may  not 
self-bailing  and  self-righting  boats  supplant  the  inferior  boats  now 
carried  upon  passenger  vessels  for  lifeboats?  And  why,  since  it  has 
been  found  that  the  self -bailing  principle  can  be  applied  to  a  model 
thoroughly  convenient  to  be  carried  on  shipboard,  may  not  these  ves- 
sels even  now  be  supplied  with  self -bailing  boats,  in  which  the  lia- 


UNITED    STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  25 

bility  to  capsize  is  greatly  diminished  by  reason  of  their  ability  to 
immediately  free  themselves  of  any  water  they  may  ship? 

For  effecting  line  communication  with  stranded  vessels  our  Service 
chiefly  employs  the  Lyle  gun,  named  after  Capt.  D.  A.  Lyle,  of  the 
Ordnance  Department  of  the  United  States  Army,  who  devised  it. 
It  is  to  be  found  in  every  station  except  the  houses  of  refuge.  But 
the  Hunt  gun,  devised  by  Mr.  Edmund  S.  Hunt,  of  Massachusetts, 
and  the  Cunningham  rocket,  invented  by  Mr.  Patrick  Cunningham, 
of  the  same  State,  have  been  recently  furnished  to  a  few  stations 
where  the  outlying  bars  are  so  far  off  shore  that  vessels  may  possibly 
strand  beyond  the  range  of  the  Lyle  gun.  This  has  been  done,  not 
in  the  belief  that  the  beach  apparatus  can  be  effectually  used  at  any 
distance  beyond  this  range,  but  with  the  hope  that  a  line,  if  thrown 
from  the  shore  to  a  wreck,  might  be  used  to  effect  the  passage  of  a 
boat  or  a  life-car,  or  that  some  other  means  for  rescue  might  be  im- 
provised. The  Lyle  gun  is  of  bronze,  with  a  smooth  2^-inch  bore, 
weighs  with  its  carriage  185  pounds,  and  carries  a  shot  weighing  17 
pounds.  This  projectile  is  a  solid  elongated  cylinder  14J  inches  in 
length,  into  the  base  of  which  is  screwed  an  eyebolt  for  receiving  the 
shot-line,  the  bolt  projecting  sufficiently  beyond  the  muzzle  of  the 
gun  to  protect  the  line  from  being  burned  off  in  firing.  When  the 
gun  is  fired  the  weight  and  inertia  of  the  line  cause  the  projectile  to 
reverse.  The  shot-lines  used  are  of  three  sizes,  designated  by  the 
numbers  4,  7,  and  9,  being,  respectively,  ^,  /^  and  3%  of  an  inch  in 
diameter.  Any  charge  of  powder  can  be  used  up  to  the  maximum  of 
6  ounces.  A  range  of  695  yards  has  been  obtained  with  the  No.  4 
line  under  favorable  circumstances.  The  range  of  the  larger  line  is, 
of  course,  proportionately  diminished.  The  No.  4  is  only  used 
where  the  vessel  is  thought  to  lie  beyond  the  range  of  the  larger 
lines,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  not  strong  enough  to  sustain  the  haul- 
ing of  the  whip  line  on  board — an  intermediate  line  has  to  be 
supplied,  requiring  the  expenditure  of  time  and  strength — and  be- 
cause it  is  not  so  easily  hauled  upon  by  the  shipwrecked  sailors  as  the 
larger  one.  The  Hunt  gun  is  also  of  bronze,  of  about  the  same  size 
and  weight  as  the  Lyle,  and  not  very  different  from  it,  except  that  it 
has  a  bore  an  inch  larger  and  is  attached  to  its  carriage  bed  at  the 
cascabel  instead  of  resting  on  trunnions.  Indeed,  the  peculiarity  of 
the  Hunt  system  is  not  in  the  gun,  but  in  the  projectile,  which  could 
be  fired  just  as  well  from  the  Lyle  gun  if  the  latter  were  of  sufficient 
caliber.  This  projectile  consists  of  a  cylindrical  tube  of  tin,  into 
one  end  of  which  is  soldered  a  solid  hemispherical  piece  of  lead, 
which,  when  the  projectile  is  placed  in  the  gun,  rests  upon  the  car- 
tridge, and  upon  discharge  reverses  its  position  like  the  Lyle  shot  and 
goes  foremost.  The  shot-line,  being  fastened  into  a  staple  in  the 
center  of  the  inside  surface  of  this  piece  of  lead,  is  coiled  in  the  tube 


26  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

until  the  cavity  is  nearly  filled,  being  kept  in  place  by  a  coating  of 
paraffin,  which  is  sufficiently  adhesive  for  the  purpose,  but  does  not 
materially  retard  its  paying  out  as  the  projectile  flies.  The  tube  has 
a  capacity  for  320  yards  of  No.  4  line.  In  the  outer  end  is  placed  a 
diaphragm  of  pasteboard  with  a  circular  hole  in  its  center  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  through  which  a  portion  of  the  other 
end  of  the  line  hangs  out.  When  the  missile  is  placed  in  the  gun  4 
or  5  inches  protrude  beyond  the  muzzle.  Upon  this  portion  four 
trapeziform  wings  are  soldered  at  regular  intervals  to  control  the 
flight.  Before  firing  the  protruding  end  of  the  incased  line  is  tied 
to  another  line  coiled  in  a  can,  or  otherwise  so  arranged  as  to  permit 
it  to  be  taken  out  without  entanglement.  When  the  discharge  takes 
place  the  line  in  the  can  by  its  inertia  and  weight  causes  the  line  in 
the  projectile  to  pay  out,  and  when  the  latter  is  exhausted  furnishes 
the  supply  for  the  remainder  of  the  flight.  The  range  obtained  is 
about  40  yards  greater  than  can  be  had  with  the  Lyle  projectile. 
The  Massachusetts  Humane  Society  uses  this  system  altogether. 
The  United  States  Service  prefers  the  Lyle  system,  because  where 
extreme  range  is  not  required  it  conveys  a  larger  and  stronger  line 
to  the  shipwrecked ;  because  it  does  not  require  the  use  of  an  interme- 
diate line  for  hauling  on  board  the  whip-line  (Mr.  Hunt  claims  that 
the  line  he  uses  is  strong  enough,  but  I  should  not  dare  to  trust  it)  ; 
and  because  the  projectile  can  be  used  any  number  of  times,  while 
the  Hunt  projectile  after  once  being  fired,  either  in  drill  or  service, 
has  to  be  returned  to  the  manufacturer  to  be  refilled,  or  a  new  one 
must  be  obtained,  involving  expense  and  trouble. 

The  Cunningham  rocket  system  may  be  said  to  be  an  application  of 
the  Hunt  projectile  to  a  rocket.  It  consists  of  a  powerful  rocket,  at 
the  rear  end  of  which  is  a  female  screw  that  receives  the  pointed  end 
of  a  sheet-iron  tube  5  feet  9J  inches  in  length  and  of  equal  diameter 
with  the  rocket.  This  tube  is  packed  with  800  yards  of  No.  4  shot 
line  which  is  connected  with  a  shore  line  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the 
Hunt  system,  and  is  paid  out  in  flight  as  from  the  Hunt  projectile. 
The  tube  also  takes  the  place  of  the  stick  in  other  rockets.  The  shore 
line  can  be  of  any  size.  The  range  of  the  rocket  with  a  No.  4  shore 
line  is  from  TOO  to  1,000  yards,  which  is  diminished  with  other  lines 
according  to  their  sizes.  With  am7  line  it  exceeds  that  of  any  other 
rocket  I  have  seen. 

Several  considerations  have  determined  the  choice  of  the  gun  for 
general  use  in  the  Life-Saving  Service  in  preference  to  the  rocket, 
among  which  are  the  following : 

(1)  Within  its  range  it  performs  the  desired  service  equally  as  well 
as  any  rocket  at  much  less  expense.  The  cost  of  the  Lyle  gun  and  all 
its  appurtenances,  exclusive  of  projectiles,  is  $87.83.  The  lowest  cost 
of  any  efficient  rocket  with  appurtenances  that  I  know  of  is  not  much 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  27 

less.  The  only  expense  attending  the  use  of  the  gun  is  the  cost  of  the 
cartridge,  say  half  a  dime,  except  when  occasionally  a  shot  is  lost, 
which  can  be  replaced  for  $2.  When  a  rocket  is  fired  several  dollars 
are  expended.  These  facts  are  of  consequence  when  considered  in 
connection  with  the  utility  of  frequent  drilling. 

(2)  The  gun  is  very  easily  handled  and  readily  prepared  for  firing. 
Everything  can  be  done  almost  as  well  in  the  dark  as  in  the  light, 
and,  if  the  weather  be  cold,  without  taking  off  the  mittens.     The 
manipulation  of  the  rockets  I  have  seen  and  experimented  with  is  not 
so  simple. 

(3)  A  rocket  must  be  given  considerable  elevation  in  firing,  whereby 
the  line  is  carried  high  in  the  air — usually  far  above  the  stranded  ves- 
sel— where  it  is  exposed  to  the  force  of  the  wind,  making  it  liable,  in 
falling,  to  float  wide  of  the  mark  and  fail  to  drop  across  the  vessel. 
The  gun,  on  the  other  hand,  can  be  given  any  elevation — even  be  de- 
pressed below  a  horizontal  position  if  fired  from  a  cliff — and  the 
charge  of  powder  can  be  graduated  according  to  the  distance  the  vessel 
lies  from  the  shore,  thereby  greatly  reducing  the  chance  of  failure. 

A  recent  incident  admirably  illustrates  the  adaptability  of  the  gun 
to  exceptional  situations.  In  the  great  storn*  of  September  last  the 
keeper  of  the  Hunniwells  Beach  Station,  on  the  coast  of  Maine,  was 
notified  that  a  wrecking  crew  of  15  persons  who  were  at  work  upon 
a  vessel  Avhich  had  some  time  before  struck  upon  Glovers  Rock,  some 
T>  miles  distant  from  the  station  and  out  of  sight,  had  hoisted  a  signal 
of  distress.  He  put  a  heaving-stick,  the  Lyle  gun,  a  shot-line,  a  whip- 
line,  a  breeches-buoy,  and  a  spare  line  into  the  surfboat,  and  with  his 
crew  set  out  for  the  rock.  Arriving,  he  found  the  wreckers  in  danger 
of  being  engulfed  by  the  growing  sea.  and  that  the  boat  could  not  ap- 
proach near  enough  to  enable  him  to  reach  the  rock  with  the  heaving- 
stick.  He  therefore  anchored  his  boat,  set  the  shot-line  box  on  the 
stern,  lashed  the  gun  upon  the  afterthwart,  loaded  it  with  a  1-ounce 
cartridge  of  powder,  and  fired,  casting  the  line  almost  into  the  hands 
of  the  imperiled  men.  It  was  found  impossible,  however,  to  take 
them  off  with  the  breeches-buoy  without  great  risk  of  their  being 
dashed  upon  the  projecting  points  of  the  rock.  Fortunately,  there 
was  a  small  dory  upon  the  rock,  by  means  of  which,  with  the  use  of 
the  line,  the  whole  number  was  drawn  in  six  trips  safely  to  the  surf- 
boat,  which  took  them  ashore  through  a  sea  which  the  keeper  describes 
as  as  heavy  as  he  ever  saw.  In  the  same  storm  the  creAv  of  the  Lewes 
Station,  Del.,  fired  the  gun  from  the  upper  window  of  a  fish  house 
and  landed  the  crew  of  a  vessel  into  the  loft  with  the  breeches-buoy. 

For  a  vehicle  in  which  to  transport  people  from  a  wreck  to  shore 
after  line  communication  has  been  established  the  breeches-buoy  is 
generally  used  as  in  other  countries.  The  life-car  (which  I  believe  to 
be  the  invention  of  Mr.  Joseph  Francis,  of  New  Jersey,  although  this- 


28  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

is  disputed  by  Capt.  Douglas  Ottinger,  of  the  Revenue  Marine  Serv- 
ice, who  claims  to  have  devised  it)  is  sometimes  taken,  however, 
especially  where  many  persons  are  to  be  landed,  and  where  the  dis- 
tance is  too  great  to  use  the  breeches-buoy.  The  car  is  a  covered  boat, 
made  of  corrugated  galvanized  iron,  furnished  with  rings  at  each  end, 
into  which  hauling  lines  are  bent,  whereby  the  car  is  hauled  back  and 
forth  on  the  water  between  the  wreck  and  the  shore  without  the  use  of 
any  apparatus.  It  is  supplied,  however,  with  bails,  one  near  each  end, 
by  which  it  can  be  suspended  from  a  hawser  and  passed  along  upon  it 
like  the  breeches-buoy,  if  found  necessary,  as  is  sometimes  the  case 
where  the  shore  is  abrupt.  The  cover  of  the  boat  is  convex  and  is 
provided  with  a  hatch,  which  fastens  either  inside  or  outside,  through 
which  entrance  and  exit  are  effected.  Near  each  end  it  is  perforated 
with  a  group  of  small  holes,  like  the  holes  in  a  grater,  punched  out 
ward,  to  supply  air  for  breathing,  without  admitting  much,  if  any, 
water.  It  is  capable  of  containing  six  or  seven  persons,  and  is  very 
useful  in  landing  sick  people  and  valuables,  as  they  are  protected 
from  getting  wet.  On  the  first  occasion  of  its  use  it  saved  201 
.persons. 

In  all  other  respect^  than  those  noted  the  beach  apparatus  is  the 
same  as  is  used  elsewhere. 

A  difficulty  that  has  not  infrequently  seriously  obstructed  the  opera- 
tions of  rescue,  and  which,  I  suppose,  is  familiar  to  all  institutions 
which  use  the  apparatus,  is  the  inability  of  the  ship's  company  to  in- 
telligently and  promptly  cooperate  with  the  rescuing  force.  Improvi- 
dence has  been  imputed  to  sailors  as  a  characteristic  to  an  extent  that 
is  probably  unjust.  However  that  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  as  a 
rule  they  do  not  in  advance  make  the  preparation  for  the  emergencies 
of  shipwreck  that  instinctive  regard  for  their  own  safety  would  be 
expected  to  prompt.  One  would  naturally  suppose  that  every  intelli- 
gent sailor,  at  least  every  officer  of  a  vessel,  aware  that  there  existed 
upon  the  coasts  of  nearly  every  country  stations  supplied  with  means 
of  aiding  their  rescue  if  they  should  unhappily  be  cast  ashore,  would 
carefully  acquaint  himself  with  the  methods  employed.  This  is  so 
far  from  being  the  case  that  tedious  delays  in  the  work  of  deliverance 
are  frequently  occasioned  by  their  ignorance,  which  in  some  instances 
in  the  history  of  our  service  have  nearly  proved  fatal.  The  inscrip- 
tions printed  in  English  and  French  upon  the  tally  boards  or  tablets 
which  are  sent  out  with  the  whip-line  and  hawser  are  explicit  enough 
as  to  what  is  to  be  done  after  they  are  received,  but  they  can  not 
always  be  read,  sometimes  on  account  of  darkness,  sometimes  because 
no  one  on  board  is  familiar  with  either  the  French  or  the  English 
language.  Again,  I  have  known  instances  in  which  sailors  did  not 
even  know  what  to  do  with  the  shot-line  sent  them,  and  have  with 
difficultv  been  made  to  understand  that  they  were  to  haul  it  aboard. 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  29 

In  dealing  with  this  trouble  we  have  followed  the  example  of  the 
rocket  service  of  the  Board  of  Trade  in  England,  .and  published  a 
pocket  manual  containing  complete  instructions  for  cooperating  with 
the  station  crews  and  showing  by  plain  cuts  the  manner  of  setting  up 
the  parts  of  the  apparatus  sent  on  board.  To  this  is  added  a  list  of 
the  stations,  with  their  locations,  and  other  useful  information  re- 
lating to  the  Service.  Each  book  is  provided  with  a  receptacle  for 
cards,  papers,  etc.,  which  makes  the  officers  of  vessels  glad  to  get  them 
and  carry  them  in  their  pockets  on  account  of  the  convenience  they 
afford  for  the  care  of  their  small  papers.  Their  value  has  been 
illustrated  on  several  occasions  of  rescue,  when  the  captains  have 
stood,  book  in  hand,  and  given  directions  from  it  as  the  operations 
progressed. 

This  device,  however,  has  only  partially  remedied  the  evil.  The 
distribution  is  not  sufficiently  general,  in  several  nations  not  being 
made  at  all.  I  understand  that  in  England  and  some  other  countries 
a  knowledge  of  these  matters  is  required  as  a  qualification  in  officers 
of  vessels.  If  the  other  maritime  nations  would  also  require  this,  the 
difficulties  experienced  would  largely  disappear.  Emergencies  arise, 
however,  where,  although  the  sailors  well  understand  the  part  they 
have  to  take,  progress  would  be  greatly  facilitated  if  there  were  some 
means  of  communicating  between  them  and  their  cooperators  on  the 
shore,  particularly  at  night.  Such  means  would  be  advantageous  not 
only  on  such  occasions,  but  at  other  times,  as  when  the  shipwrecked, 
lured  by  the  comparatively  smooth  appearance  of  the  surf  as  viewed 
from  seaward,  attempt  to  land  in  their  own  boats,  while  it  can  be 
plainly  seen  from  the  shore  that  the  venture  must  be  fatal.  I  think 
I  can  safely  say  that  more  lives  are  now  lost  within  the  scope  of 
station  operations  through  these  attempts  than  from  any  other  cause. 

The  telephone  lines  which  now  extend  along  nearly  all  those  por- 
tions of  the  coast  on  which  contiguous  stations  are  located  make  it 
easy  to  quickly  concentrate  the  crews  of  two  or  more  stations  at  any 
point  where  additional  force  is  required,  as  in  the  case  when  several 
wrecks  occur  at  the  same  time  in  the  same  neighborhood,  and  the 
double  equipment  at  each  station  expedites  this  concentration  by 
permitting  the  reenforcing  crew  to  come  unencumbered.  A  notable 
illustration  of  the  benefit  of  such  a  combination  of  crews  was  the 
work  achieved  near  Cape  Henlopen  in  the  great  storm  of  September 
10,  11,  and  12  last,  one  of  the  most  destructive  that  has  ever  visited 
our  coast,  when  the  crews  of  three  stations,  under  the  leadership  of 
Capt.  Clampitt,  of  the  Lewes  Station,  rescued  the  crews  of  22 
stranded  vessels — 194  persons — by  the 'use  of  every  form  of  rescuing 
appliance — 23  being  landed  with  the  surf  boats,  16  with  the  self- 
righting  lifeboat,  135  with  the  breeches-buoy,  and  20  with  the  life- 
car,  not  a  life  being  lost. 


30  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

The  telegraph  and  railroad  systems  of  the  country  are  also  used 
to  secure  the  services  of  the  crews  at  scenes  of  rescue  far  remote  from 
their  stations.  On  two  occasions  the  Cleveland  crew  has  been  called 
to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  Newport,  Ky.,  a  distance  of  240  miles,  to 
render  aid  to  the  sufferers  from  inundations  in  the  Ohio  Valley.  On 
the  first  occasion  1,200  persons  were  succored,  on  the  second  over  800. 
The  crew  of  the  Sturgeon  Bay  Ship  Canal  Station,  Lake  Michigan, 
was  once  called  at  night  to  Chocolay  Beach,  near  Marquette,  Mich.,  a 
distance  of  110  miles.  Proceeding  by  special  train  running  at  the 
highest  attainable  speed,  and  taking  with  them  their  beach  apparatus 
and  boat,  they  reached  the  beach  at  midnight,  and  through  a  blinding 
snowstorm  and  in  spite  of  bitter  cold,  were  able  to  board  two  stranded 
vessels  and  rescue  24  persons  after  every  effort  of  the  citizens  had 
failed.  Shorter  journeys  of  from  15  to  30  miles  by  rail  are  frequently 
undertaken,  especially  where  the  railway  skirts  the  shore,  as  it  does 
on  many  parts  of  the  coast. 

At  isolated  stations,  where  aid  from  another  station  is  not  avail- 
able, the  keepers  have  authority  to  accept  the  assistance  of  volun- 
teers, who  are  paid  $3  each  per  day  upon  the  certificate  of  the  keeper, 
approved  by  the  district  superintendent. 

After  rescue  the  shipwrecked  people  are  taken  to  the  station  and 
provided  with  every  comfort  it  affords.  They  find  hot  coffee  and  dry 
clothing  awaiting  them,  with  cots  for  those  who  need  rest  and  sleep. 
If  any  are  sick  or  maimed,  as  is  frequently  the  case,  they  are  nursed 
and  cared  for  until  sufficiently  recovered  to  safely  leave ;  in  the  mean- 
time medical  aid  is  called  in  if  practicable.  For  wounds  and  ail- 
ments requiring  only  simple  and  well-known  remedies,  recourse  is 
had  to  the  medicine  chest,  which  is  stocked  with  restoratives  and 
medicines  that  can  be  safely  used  and  provided  with  a  handbook  of 
directions.  The  sojourner  also  finds  at  hand  a  very  fair  library  of 
books  to  relieve  the  tedium  of  his  enforced  detention. 

The  dry  clothing  is  taken  from  a  supply  constantly  kept  on  hand 
by  the  Women's  National  Relief  Association,  an  organization  estab- 
lished to  afford  relief  to  sufferers  from  disasters  of  every  kind,  and 
the  libraries  are  the  donations  of  the  Seamen's  Friend  Society  and  of 
sundry  benevolent  individuals.  Several  newspaper  publishers  send 
their  papers  regularly  to  many  of  the  stations.  The  food  is  prepared 
by  the  keepers  or  the  station  messes,  who  are  reimbursed  by  the 
recipients  if  they  have  the  means;  if  not,  by  the  Government. 

Occasionally  unfortunate  victims  of  shipwreck  reach  the  shore  to 
all  appearances  dead.  In  such  cases  the  life-saving  crews  attempt 
their  restoration  according  to  the  method  for  restoring  the  apparently 
drowned,  in  which  they  have  been  drilled  as  already  described. 
When  the  Service  was  first  organized  we  adopted  the  system  then.  and. 
I  believe,  still  employed  by  nearly  all  life-saving  organizations.  It 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  31 

is  known  as  the  Hall-Silvester  method,  containing  features  of  each  of 
the  systems,  formulated  by  Dr.  Marshall  Hall  and  Dr.  H.  K.  Silvester. 
A  discussion  of  the  subject  in  the  Life  Boat  Journal  (February  num- 
ber, 1873) ,  in  which  the  "  direct  method,"  as  it  is  called,  recommended 
by  Dr.  Benjamin  Howard,  of  New  York,  was  brought  to  my  atten- 
tion, led  to  the  adoption  of  the  latter  system  with  some  slight  modi- 
fications suggested  by  Dr.  John  M.  Woodworth,  late  Surgeon-General 
of  the  United  States  Marine-Hospital  Service.  Dr.  Frank  Baker, 
professor  of  anatomy  in  the  medical  department  of  Georgetown 
University,  who  is  also  connected  with  the  Life-Saving  Service,  has 
at  my  request  made  a  very  thorough  examination  of  the  various  sys- 
tems, and  has  submitted  an  exhaustive  report  upon  them.  He  states 
his  general  conclusion  as  follows : 

The  different  methods  all  have  in  view  the  expulsion  of  the 
vitiated  air  in  the  lungs  and  the  introduction  of  fresh.  To  effect 
this,  respiratory  movements  are  stimulated.  Hall  does  this  by  turn- 
ing the  patient  on  his  face  and  compressing  the  thorax  by  pressure  on 
the  back,  then  turning  him  on  the  side  and  allowing  the  thorax  to 
expand.  The  expulsion  of  air  is  but  slight,  but  it  is  an  excellent 
method  of  expelling  fluids  from  the  stomach  and  lungs.  In  Silves- 
ter's method  the  arms  are  first  stretched  at  full  length  upward  beside 
the  head,  then  carried  downward,  pressing  the  elbows  against  the 
thorax.  These  motions  are  thought  to  alternately  expand  and  con- 
tract the  chest.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  how  the  first  movement 
can  produce  an  effective  expansion,  as  the  scapulae  are  not  fixed,  and 
the  muscles  passing  directly  from  the  arms  to  the  chest  are  inserted 
so  high  up  on  the  thorax  as  to  have  but  little,  if  any,  effect.  The 
second  movement  produces  an  expulsion  of  air,  but  not  as  effectively 
as  in  the  method  of  Howard,  by  which  the  lower  thorax  and  the  ab- 
domen are  compressed,  the  diaphragm  consequently  pushed  up,  and 
the  lungs  emptied.  This  method  is  believed  to  be  more  efficient  than 
any  other  that  has  been  employed.  No  active  inspiratory  movement 
is  made,  the  expansive  resiliency  of  the  chest  wall  springing  back 
after  compression  being  sufficient. 

During  the  12  years  in  which  the  "direct  method"  has  been  prac- 
ticed in  the  Service  118  cases  have  come. under  the  treatment  of  our 
crews.  In  this  number  of  attempts  at  resuscitation  60  were  successful 
and  58  unsuccessful.  In  some  of  the  successful  instances  several  hours 
elapsed  after  the  patient  was  taken  from  the  water  before  natural 
respiration  was  induced.  Success  has  followed  even  after  the  patient 
has  been  pronounced  dead  beyond  hope  by  reputable  physicians. 
As  to  the  results  obtained  by  other  methods  I  have  been  unable  to 
secure  any  information. 

Next  to  the  success  of  the  Service  in  saving  life,  that  of  its  efforts 
in  the  saving  of  property  is  conspicuous.  This  is  accomplished  in 
getting  vessels  afloat  when  stranded,  a  work  in  which  the  surf  men 
are  experts;  in  extricating  them  from  dangerous  situations;  in  pump- 


32  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

ing  them  out  when  leaking ;  in  running  lines  between  wrecked  vessels 
and  tugs  when  it  can  not  be  done  with  ordinary  boats;  in  rendering 
assistance  in  various  ways;  and  in  warning  off  vessels  standing  into 
danger.  In  the  majority  of  casualties  the  surf  men  succeed  in  saving 
the  vessels  and  cargoes  without  any  other  aid  than  that  of  the  ships' 
crews.  When  this  is  impossible  they  act  in  conjunction  with  the 
revenue  cutters — which  are  equipped  for  rendering  assistance  in  such 
cases — if  these  vessels  are  available,  or  assist,  if  necessary,  any  other 
relief  sent. 

The  tabular  statistics  published  in  the  annual  reports  of  the  serv- 
ice show,  in  reference  to  imperiled  property,  only  the  amount  im- 
periled, the  amount  saved,  and  the  amount  lost  within  the  field  of 
station  operations;  but,  in  order  to  convey  here  a  better  idea  of  the 
value  of  the  labors  of  the  life-saving  crews,  I  have  had  prepared  a 
statement  of  their  salvage  work  during  the  years  1888  and  1889. 
This  statement  shows  that  in  1888  the  station  crews  saved,  without 
any  outside  assistance,  194  vessels,  valued,  with  their  cargoes,  at 
$1,495,550.  The  number  of  persons  on  board  was  898.  The  number 
of  vessels  which  they  assisted  other  effort  in  saving  was  88,  the  value 
involved  being  $2,170,500  and  the  number  of  persons  on  board  054. 
The  aggregate  number  of  vessels,  therefore,  which  they  saved  and 
assisted  to  save  Avas  282,  the  amount  of  property  involved  $3,666,050, 
and  the  number  of  persons  on  board  1,552.  They  also  rendered  as- 
sistance of  less  importance  to  210  other  vessels.  In  1889  the  crews 
saved,  without  outside  assistance,  172  vessels,  valued,  with  their 
cargoes,  at  $1,127,295.  The  number  of  persons  on  board  was  823. 
The  number  of  vessels  which  they  assisted  other  effort  in  saving  was 
85,  the  value  involved  being  $2,114,535  and  the  number  of  persons 
on  board  623.  The  aggregate  number  of  vessels,  therefore,  which 
they  saved  and  assisted  to  save  in  this  year  was  257,  the  amount  of 
property  involved  $3,241,830,  and  the  number  of  persons  on  board 
1,446.  Assistance  of  minor  importance  was  rendered  to  253  other 
vessels.  For  all  this  it  must  be  remembered  they  received  no  salvage. 

But  their  usefulness  as  salvors  of  property  does  not  end  here.  By 
the  aid  of  the  telephone  lines,  all  of  which  are  connected  with  tele- 
graph stations,  they  give  to  the  maritime  exchanges  and  under- 
writers early  notice  of  disasters,  with  information  as  to  the  condition 
of  the  vessels,  the  extent  of  additional  aid  required,  if  any,  etc.,  or 
send  directly  to  the  nearest  available  place  for  tugs  or  other  needed 
help,  thus  securing  prompt  assistance  where  delay  would  involve 
serious  and  perhaps  fatal  consequences.  More  valuable  than  this, 
perhaps,  is  the  service  rendered  both  to  humanity  and  commerce  in 
the  prevention  of  disasters  by  the  warning  signals  of  the  night  and 
day  patrol.  Of  course  no  estimate  of  the  lives  and  property  saved 
in  this  manner  can  be  made.  We  only  know  the  number  of  such 


UNITED  STATES  LIFE-SAVING  SERVICE.  33 

warnings  given.  Last  year  they  were  217.  They  have  reached  as 
high  as  240  in  a  year,  and  during  any  of  the  last  six  years  have  not 
been  less  than  200. 

It  is  pertinent  to  inquire  what  it  costs  to  maintain  this  system,  and 
whether  the  results  produced  are  proportionate  to  the  outlay.  The 
expenditures  vary  considerably  from  year  to  year,  as  do  also  the 
aggregate  results  produced,  the  difference  depending  upon  the  num- 
ber of  new  stations  added  to  the  establishment  and  upon  numerous 
contingencies.  A  summary  of  the  expenditures  and  operations  of 
any  one  year  would  therefore  but  imperfectly  answer  the  inquiry. 
Such  a  statement,  however,  will  be  found  interesting  in  other  respects, 
and  I  give  it  in  regard  to  the  last  fiscal  year,  as  extracted  from  the 
annual  report,  not  yet  printed:  The  total  expenditures  were  $965,- 
907.18,  all  but  $163,454.03  of  which  was  expended  in  the  payment 
of  the  compensation  of  the  officers  and  men  and  that  of  the  clerical 
force — $712,567.95  being  paid  to  the  keepers  and  surfmen  alone. 
There  were  378  disasters  to  documented  vessels  within  the  scope  of 
the  Service.  There  were  on  board  these  vessels  3,106  persons,  of 
whom  38  were  lost.  The  estimated  value  of  property  involved  was 
$6,343,880.  Of  this  amount,  $4,995,130  was  saved  and  $1,348,750  lost. 
The  number  of  vessels  totally  lost  was  63.  In  addition  to  the  fore- 
going there  were  150  casualties  to  smaller  craft — sailboats,  rowboats. 
etc. — on  which  were  320  persons,  of  whom  only  4  were  lost.  The 
property  involved  in  these  instances  is  estimated  at  $72,895,  of  which 
$59,310  was  saved  and  $13,585  lost. 

The  results  of  all  the  disasters  within  the  scope  of  the  Service 
aggregate,  therefore,  as  follows: 

Number  of  disasters 528 

Value  of  property  involved $6,416,775 

Value  of  property  saved $5,024,440 

Value  of  property  lost $1,362,335 

Number  of  persons  involved 2,426 

Number  of  persons  lost 42 

Number  of  vessels  totally  lost 63 

To  this  statement  should  be  added  787  shipwrecked  persons  suc- 
cored at  the  stations,  the  number  of  days'  succor  afforded  being  1,732. 

There  were  landed  by  the  surfboats  435  persons,  by  the  self-righting 
lifeboats  74,  by  the  river  life  skiffs  (at  Louisville)  56,  by  other  sta- 
tion boats  179,  by  the  breeches-buoy  193,  by  the  life-car  10,  by  other 
means  40.  There  were  besides  24  persons  rescued  who  had  fallen 
^frorn  wharves,  piers,  etc.  The  details  relative  to  the  saving  of  prop- 
erty, etc.,  have  already  been  stated. 

It  may  be  mentioned  that  the  loss  of  life  from  documented  vessels 
last  year  was  unusually  large.  The  year  before  it  was  only  12.  The 


34  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

average  loss  per  annum  since  the  introduction  of  the  present  system 
is  26. 

The  following  is  a  general  summary  of  the  statistics  of  disasters 
that  have  occurred  within  the  scope  of  the  Service  from  the  intro- 
duction of  the  present  system  in  1871  to  the  close  of  the  last  year : 

Number  of  disasters . 4,  924 

Value  of  vessels $55,473,190,00 

Value  of  cargoes $26,  246,  584.  00 

Value  of  property  involved $81,719,774.00 

Value  of  property  saved $60,352,092.00 

Value  of  property  lost $21,367,682.00 

Number  of  persons  involved . 42,864 

Number  of  lives  lost *505 

Number  of  persons  succored 7,  903 

Number  of  days'  succor  afforded 20,837 

Cost  of  maintaining  the  Service $9, 172,  208.  86 

We  would  probably  obtain  a  better  idea  of  the  relation  between 
the  cost  of  maintenance  and  the  results  by  taking  the  aggregate  dur- 
ing the  seven  years  since  the  adoption  of  the  present  rate  of  wages, 
commencing  July  1,  1883,  and  afterwards  giving  the  average  per 
station.  In  1883  there  were  194  stations;  1884,  201;  1885,  203;  1886, 
211;  1887,  218;  1888,  222;  1889,  225;  making  a  total  of  1,474  stations! 
The  general  cost  and  results  may  be  summed  up  as  follows : 

Cost  during  7  years $5,791,184.05 

Number  of  disasters 3,232 

Value  of  property  involved  (vessels  and  cargoes) $52,441,120.00 

Value  of  property  saved $42,286,800.00 

Value  of  property  lost $10, 154,  320.  00 

Number  of  persons  on  board 27,  766 

Number  of  persons  lost 196 

Number  of  shipwrecked  persons  succored  at  the  stations 4,  831 

Number  of  days'  succor  afforded 12,402 

Number  of  disasters  resulting  in  total  loss  of  vessels 482 

The  average  number  of  stations  was  210,  and  the  average  annual 
cost  of  maintenance  per  station  was  therefore  $3,928.89.  Other 
average  results  per  station  per  annum  are  as  follows: 

Number  of  disasters 2.19 

Value  of  property  involved $35,577.42 

Value  of  property  saved $28,688.47 

Value  of  property  lost $6,  888.  95 

Number  of  persons  involved 18.97 

Number  of  persons  saved 18.84 

Number  of  persons  lost  (being  1  person  to  every  7  stations) 

Number  of  persons  succored 3.27 

Number  of  days'  succor  afforded 

Number  of  disasters  resulting  in  total  loss  of  vessels  (being  1  to 

every  3  stations) .33 

1  This  includes  30  lost  from  undocumented  vessels  (small  craft). 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  35 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  data  exist  from  which  a  definite  com- 
parison of  the  results  of  disasters  to  vessels  upon  the  coasts,  before 
and  after  the  establishment  of  stations  thereon,  can  be  drawn. 
Unfortunately  no  provision  of  law  was  made  for  the  collection  of 
statistics  pertaining  to  disasters  beyond  the  scope  of  the  Service  until 
1874,  when  authority  was  given  to  gather  them.  From  the  time, 
however,  that  the  present  life-saving  system  began  its  work  upon 
the  coasts  of  Long  Island  and  New  Jersey^  in  1871,  all  important  data 
relating  to  casualties  within  its  province  have  been  secured.  In 
1849  and  1850,  as  I  have  before  stated,  the  Government  had  erected 
upon  these  coasts  boathouses  containing  surfboats  and  other  life- 
saving  appliances,  each  in  charge  of  a  keeper,  for  such  effort  as 
might  be  volunteered  on  occasions  of  shipwreck  (a  system  somewhat 
similar  to  other  existing  volunteer  systems),  and  although  no  definite 
record  of  the  results  of  this  experiment  was  kept,  it  is  known  that 
many  lives  were  saved'through  the  facilities  it  afforded.  The  num- 
ber lost  can  not  be  ascertained.  I  have  positively  learned,  however, 
of  the  loss  of  512  persons  during  the  20  years  from  1850  to  1870,  and 
have  authentic  information  that  these  figures  indicate  but  a  frag- 
ment of  the  reality.  Yet  they  afford  the  basis  for  some  comparison. 
They  give,  for  instance,  an  average  annual  loss  of  at  least  25  lives. 
During  the  18  years  of  the  existence  of  the  present  system  the  num- 
ber lost  upon  this  section  of  the  coast  has  been  119.,  an  annual  aver- 
age of  only  7 — a  reduction  of  about  80  per  cent — which  would  doubt- 
less be  largely  augmented  if  the  facts  could  be  ascertained,  and  this, 
notwithstanding  the  number  of  disasters  has  greatly  increased  as  a 
consequence  of  the  growth  of  the  commerce  of  the  country,  particu- 
larly that  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

It  will  be  observed,  too,  that  the  ascertained  loss  of  512  lives  during 
the  20  years  of  the  volunteer  system,  although  confined  to  a  very  small 
section  of  the  coast,  is  greater  than  that  upon  all  the  dangerous  coasts 
which  have  come  under  the  protection  of  the  present  system  during 
the  last  18  years.  Yet  this  latter  number  (505)  includes  30  lives  lost 
from  undocumented  vessels  (small  craft),  while  the  former  does 
not  embrace  such.  It  also  contains  the  lives  of  28  wreckers  lost 
from  the  steamship  Circassian  in  1876,  on  the  Long  Island  coast,  for 
whose  rescue  the  breeches-buoy  apparatus  had  been  set  up,  but  was 
deliberately  and  against  the  keeper's  protest  cast  overboard  by  the 
wrecker  in  charge,  for  fear  that  his  men  would  become  frightened  and 
avail  themselves  of  it  as  the  storm  increased,  while  he  hoped  to  float 
the  vessel  at  high  tide.  If  these  be  deducted,  the  number  will  be  re- 
duced to  447,  and  yield  an  average  annual  loss  for  the  entire  service 
less  than  that  upon  the  New  Jersey  and  Long  Island  coasts  alone 
under  the  volunteer  system.  I  may  here  remark  that  in  making  up 
the  annual  record  of  the  loss  of  life  under  the  present  system,  care 


36  UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE. 

has  always  been  taken  to  include  every  instance  that  could  with  any 
degree  of  fairness  be  said  to  have  occurred  within  the  field  of  the 
operations  of  the  Service;  the  doubtful  cases  have  been  counted  in, 
and  among  them  are  others  than  those  specified  above  that  could  be 
deducted  with  equally  good  reason. 

I  have  thus  endeavored  to  present  a  sketch  of  the  organization  and 
methods  of  the  Life- Saving  Service  of  this  country  and  to  convey  an 
accurate  idea  of  its  effectiveness.  Doubtless  the  system  appears  to  be 
an  expensive  and  elaborate  one,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that,  put- 
ting aside  entirely  the  consideration  of  the  value  of  human  life,  which 
is  beyond  computation,  it  saves  many  times  its  cost  in  property 
alone,  and  that  it  fulfills  the  functions  usually  allotted  to  several 
different  agencies.  It  rescues  the  shipwrecked  by  both  the  principal 
methods  which  human  ingenuity  has  devised  for  that  purpose,  and 
which  in  some  countries  are  practiced  separately  by  two  distinct  or- 
ganizations; it  furnishes  them  the  subsequent  succor  which  elsewhere 
would  be  afforded  by  shipwrecked  mariners'  societies;  it  guards  the 
lives  of  persons  in  peril  of  drowning  by  falling  into  the  water  from 
piers  and  wharves  in  the  harbors  of  populous  cities,  an  office  usually 
performed  by  humane  societies;  it  nightly  patrols  the  dangerous 
coasts  for  the  early  discovery  of  wrecks  and  the  hastening  of  relief, 
thus  increasing  the  chances  of  rescue  and  shortening  by  hours  intense 
physical  suffering  and  the  terrible  agony  of  suspense;  it  places  over 
peculiarly  dangerous  points  upon  the  rivers  and  lakes  a  sentry  pre- 
pared to  send  instant  relief  to  those  who  incautiously  or  recklessly 
incur  the  hazard  of  capsizing  in  boats;  it  conducts  to  places  of 
safety  those  imperiled  in  their  homes  by  the  torrents  of  flood,  and 
conveys  food  to  those  imprisoned  in  their  houses  by  inundation  and 
threatened  with  famine;  it  annually  saves,  unaided,  hundreds  of 
stranded  vessels  with  their  cargoes  from  total  or  partial  destruction, 
and  assists  in  saving  scores  of  others;  it  protects  wrecked  property, 
after  landing,  from  the  ravage  of  the  elements  and  the  rapine  of 
plunderers ;  it  extricates  vessels  unwarily  caught  in  perilous  positions ; 
it  averts  numerous  disasters  by  its  flashing  signals  of  warning  to  ves- 
sels standing  into  danger;  it  assists  the  customs  service  in  collecting 
the  revenues  of  the  Government;  it  pickets  the  coast  with  a  guard, 
which  prevents  smuggling  and,  in  time  of  war,  surprise  by  hostile 
forces.  I  might  considerably  extend  the  catalogue  of  its  beneficent 
offices.  I  could  tell  of  the  valuable  aid  it  has  rendered  to  scientific 
research ;  of  its  contributions  of  rare  specimens  to  the  department  of 
marine  zoology  in  our  National  Museum;  of  the  hotels,  dwellings, 
mills,  and  other  structures  it  has  saved  from  destruction  by  fire;  of 
its  timely  detection  and  prevention  of  burglaries  and  robberies,  and 
of  many  other  services  inuring  to  the  public  benefit  which  it  has 
incidentally  rendered.  But  I  must  not  detain  the  committee  longer. 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  37 

I  have  made  a  heavy  draft  upon  its  time  and  patience  which  nothing 
but  the  importance  of  the  subject  would  justify.  The  conference  sits 
in  council  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  devising  means  to  se- 
cure, if  possible,  a  greater  measure  of  safety  to  those  who  go  down 
to  the  sea  in  ships.  It  is  a  responsibility  of  the  gravest  nature,  in 
which  we  have  an  important  share.  We  are  to  study  the  different 
methods  of  dealing  with  the  contingencies  of  shipwreck ;  to  compare 
the  results  of  our  individual  experience  and  observations,  and  deduce 
for  the  consideration  of  the  conference  such  rules  of  action  as  seem 
to  us  practicable  and  best  for  common  adoption.  Of  course  it  is  not 
apprehended  that  it  is  possible,  or  perhaps  even  desirable,  that  the 
diverse  systems  and  methods  pertaining  to  the  various  life-saving  in- 
stitutions of  the  world  should  be  made  uniform ;  but  if  the  conference 
could  have  the  benefit  of  a  full  exposition  of  all  of  them,  perhaps 
some  of  the  best  features  of  each  system  might  be  selected  and  rec- 
ommended for  general  extension.  Under  these  considerations  and 
with  this  view  I  have  felt  that  I  ought  not  to  omit,  even  at  the  risk 
of  being  tiresome,  the  mention  of  anything  essential  to  afford  a  just 
conception  of  the  general  character  and  scope  of  our  Service,  which 
is  so  unlike  all  other  organizations  established  for  similar  purposes. 


ADDENDA. 


Since  the  preparation  of  this  paper  in  1889,  the  number  of  sta- 
tions has  been  increased  to  279.  (See  latest  issue  of  Official  Register 
for  number  and  location.) 

Station  buildings  now  being  erected  are  larger  and  conform  to 
modern  requirements.  They  cost  from  $8,000  to  $12,000  each. 

Telephone  service  has  been  extended  to  the  greater  portion  of  the 
Atlantic  coast,  some  few  stations  on  the  Great  Lakes,  and  short 
lines  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Stations  not  on  service  lines  are  con- 
nected with  local  exchanges  where  practicable. 

Assistant  inspectors  now  make  quarterly  visits,  instead  of  monthly, 
as  stated  on  page  12. 

District  superintendents'  salaries  have  been  increased,  ranging 
now  from  $1.900  to  $2,200.  Keepers  of  complete  stations  receive 
$1,000  per  annum,  and  keepers  of  houses  of  refuge  (where  no  crews 
are  employed)  $600.  One  surf  man  in  each  crew,  designated  as  No. 
1,  receives  $70,  and  other  surfmen  $65  per  month  while  actually 
employed.  Keepers  and  crews  of  life-saving  stations  are  allowed  one 
ration  or  commutation  thereof  at  30  cents  per  day.  Crews  are 
paid  monthly  (p.  12). 

The  active  season  on  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts  is  from  August 
1  to  May  31 — 10  months;  on  the  Great  Lakes,  during  the  season  of 
navigation,  April  to  December;  on  the  Pacific  coast,  the  entire  year. 
Floating  stations:  Louisville.  Ky.,  12  months;  City  Point,  Boston, 
Mass.,  May  to  November. 

Surfmen  are  selected  from  eligible  registers  provided  by  the  Civil 
Service  Commission.  The  examination  is  noneducational,  being 
based  on  experience,  physical  condition,  and  age. 

Keepers  are  appointed  on  the  joint  recommendation  of  the  district 
superintendent  and  assistant  inspector,  who  must  certify  that  the 
person  nominated  is  the  best  qualified  available  surfman  in  the  dis- 
trict. Only  surfmen  in  the  service  are  eligible  for  appointment  as 
keepers  of  life-saving  stations. 

Vacancies  in  the  position  of  district  superintendent  are  filled  by 
competitive  examination,  all  keepers  in  the  district  where  the  va- 
cancy occurs  not  over  55  years  of  age  being  eligible  to  compete. 
38 


UNITED   STATES   LIFE-SAVING   SERVICE.  39 

Selection  is  made  by  the  general  superintendent'  from  the'  three 
keepers  making  the  highest  ratings  in  the  examination. 

Continuous  lookout  is  kept  at  all  stations,  both  by  day  and  night 
with  beach  patrol  during  hours  of  darkness  and  in  foggy  or  thick 
weather.  Two  surfmen  are  assigned  to  each  night  watch,  one  of 
whom  proceeds  on  patrol  (in  the  same  direction  at  the  same  time 
from  all  stations  in  a  district,  so  far  as  practicable),  while  the  other 
remains  at  the  station  on  watch;  on  return  of  first  man  he  takes 
station  watch  and  the  second  man  patrols  in  opposite  direction. 

The  lifeboats  now  being  furnished  the  stations  are  36  feet  in 
length,  equipped  with  35  to  40  horsepower  gasoline  engines,  so  con- 
structed and  installed  as  not  to  affect  the  self-righting  qualities  or 
occupy  space  available  for  passengers  and  crew,  and  arranged  so 
engine  stops  automatically  in  the  event  of  a  capsize.  Self-bailing 
surfboats,  26  feet  in  length,  are  being  equipped  with  8-horsepower 
twin-screw  motors.  By  means  of  universal  joints  in  the  outboard 
shafts  the  propellers  are  folded  snug  against  the  hull  of  the  boat  in 
launching  and  landing  through  the  surf. 

JANUARY,  1912. 

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